Kiseki no Hoshi
by Star of Heaven
Summary: As the Last Judgment continues, Weiß struggles to survive while Aya fights with his destiny of bringing destruction. But when all is done, it truly has ended. Complete.
1. Der Prolog

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen  
  
Der Prolog:  
_/The balance of good and evil/  
/The one who will be the end/  
/But also the beginning/  
/With his death, comes hope and rebirth/  
/Monstrous Fate/  
/Star of Miracles/  
/Resurgere/_  
  
Since the creation of the universe, two beings have been waging war between themselves. The angels, led by God, represent Heaven. The demons, led by Satan, represent Hell. The angels and demons do not know the reason for the fighting; they simply do what they are commanded. The Surface World, the world of the living, was to know nothing of this war. However, humans soon stumbled onto the war.   
  
During the ensuing chaos, a decision was reached. Three keys were created: the Blau Kreuz, the cross of angels; the Rot Kreuz, the cross of demons; and the Weiß Kreuz, the cross of humans. The three keys, known as the three "Kreuze," that lead to Subete, the place where Heaven, Hell, and the Surface World meet. The three Kreuze draw a lot of power from their users, so only God and Satan, due to their immense powers, can use them without feeling any ill effects. This was done to prevent any human from stumbling onto the war ever again. But soon, very soon, four young men from the Surface World will be caught up in what is known as the "Krieg von Tränen"…   



	2. Einfahrt

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

_Disclaimer__:_ Last time I looked in the mirror, I wasn't Takehito Koyasu. So I don't own Weiß Kreuz or its pretty bishounens. As for the fan fic itself, it really doesn't have much to do with the actual timeline, even though it's not AU. You could say it takes place after Episode 15 if you want. There's no Schwarz or Schreient, so you're reading the wrong fic if you wanna see them. There's also no yaoi, but shounen ai hints? Hmm. You decide. Het pairings? Hmm. Maybe.  
_Rating__:_ PG-13 for violence (quite a lot of it, too), heavy religious content (if you're highly religious and don't like having your beliefs questioned, don't read this), the occasional suggestive comment (usually for comic relief, but not always), mild drug usage, and some mature themes such as suicide and cutting.  
_Misc__:_ Translations of the chapter titles, OCs' names, etc. will be supplied at the end. Anyway, on with the story.

Kapitel 1: Einfahrt  
_"Come now, awaken. You know you want to."_

_"Shut up! I vowed to myself I would never awaken! I will not be the end."_

_"Heh heh. Who are you to stop him? It is up to him of whether or not you awaken."_

_"I can't stop him. But there are a few who can."_

_"Like who?"_

_"I can. Dear brother, don't allow him to awaken. He will bring our destruction."_

_"Thank you, my dear Aya-chan."_

As the voices continued to scream inside his head, Fujimiya Aya tossed and turned in this bed as he tried to fall asleep. He wrapped his pillow around to ears to block out the voices, but the voices were heard with his mind, not with his ears. Drenched in his own sweat, he mentally yelled for the three voices to shut up. He yelled so loudly, that he even surprised himself. The voices seemed to listen to him, until one final voice cut through the silence like Aya's own katana:

_"Sie sind das Ende…Kiseki no Hoshi!"_

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Yo Omi, get out here!" Kudou Yoji yelled from the outside of the Kitty in the House, the flower shop where he and three of his friends worked, to Tsukiyono Omi. "We need your help!" It was a normal summer day in July, and the Kitty in the House was open for business. Ever since Weiß had disbanded, their lives were almost normal now. They all worked as florists full-time now, instead of part-time like they used to. They seemed to enjoy that, and Yamaguchi Momoe sure didn't mind. Now that it was summer and the schools were out, the Kitty in the House had more customers, and the four former assassins now working full-time were a great assist to the flower shop.

"How come?" Omi asked, about to bite into the sandwich he made for lunch. Usually his help wasn't needed because the high school girls never purchased flowers; they just wanted to stare at the four handsome florists. However, Omi still helped the few paying customers, but right now he wasn't really up to working. Aya's continuous tossing and turning had kept him awake all night. He was beginning to worry about Aya. This wasn't the first night the redhead had trouble sleeping.

"The girls are actually buying flowers for once!" Yoji answered, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Okay, I'm coming!" Omi yelled back. He quickly devoured the rest of his sandwich and went out to where all the customers were.

"I want a dozen of the prettiest flowers you have!" a girl requested of Hidaka Ken.

Ken wrapped twelve white roses in a bouquet. "Here you go," he said, handing the white roses to the girl. "That'll be ¥60,000."

The girl nearly fainted. "Um…I'll take a half dozen of a cheaper kind of rose," she decided.

"You should make sure you have enough money for something before you ask for it," Yoji suggested to the girl. He turned to face Omi. "So where's Aya?" he wondered, expecting an answer from Omi.

"I think he said he was taking Sakura-chan out for lunch," Omi told Yoji.

"That pervert," Yoji mumbled. "Just when we need him, he decides to go out with some girl…"

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Would you like anything else with that order?" the cashier asked Aya after he finished recited to her his order.

"No," Aya decided, shaking his head. He and Tomoe Sakura were at an American restaurant for lunch. The reason he was taking Sakura out for lunch was because Sakura said she needed to see him, and he just decided to be nice and buy her lunch. He figured that since he was skipping work anyway, he could get something to eat.

The cashier repeated Aya's order into the microphone. Aya's order consisted of two cheeseburgers, two fries, one large and one medium, and two cokes, both large.

A few minutes later, the cashier returned with Aya's order. "The total comes up to ¥2500," she informed Aya. Aya paid the cashier and took the tray with his order on it. He went over to the table Sakura was waiting for him at and sat down across from her as well as laying down the tray with the food and drinks.

"Thanks, Aya-san," Sakura thanked, taking her food and drink from the tray.

Aya said nothing. For a while he and Sakura ate their food in silence. Finally he asked, "Why did you need to see me?"

Sakura swallowed the fry she was crewing. "I wanted to give you your birthday present," she answered. "Your birthday's today, right? July eighth?"

"My birthday was four days ago," Aya corrected dryly.

Sakura looked as if she could kill herself. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologized quickly, blushing madly. "Will you still accept my gift?"

"Sure," Aya allowed.

Sakura grinned widely. She reached into her purse and got out a small box wrapped in shiny red paper. She handed the wrapped box to Aya, who accepted the box and neatly unwrapped it. He removed the lid and pulled out a clear white, crystalline cross necklace that was almost the size of his hand.

"Well, do you like it?" Sakura wondered.

"It's pretty," Aya admitted, a bit emotionlessly, about to pocket the cross necklace.

"Try it on," Sakura urged.

Aya undid the clasp of the cross necklace and placed it around his neck. The cross stumbled against his chest. "Well?" he asked.

"It looks lovely on you," Sakura commented.

Aya was already making up his mind to never ever let Yoji see him wearing the cross necklace. The blond playboy would never let him live it down.

After Aya and Sakura finished their meals, they left the resterant and walked over to Aya's silver car in the parking lot. Sakura got into the passenger's seat while Aya sat down in the driver's seat. He started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

They drove in silence most of the way. Soon they reached Sakura's house. Sakura undid her seatbelt and stepped out of Aya's car. "See ya, Aya-san," she said as she got out of the car. Aya waited until she was safely in her house before heading back to the Kitty in the House. He hoped that the others wouldn't be _too_ mad at the fact he skipped work today, which was highly unusual for him.

As he was pulling up into the garage, he noticed that there were no girls hanging around, even though the shop was still open. He got out of the car and walked into the shop, expecting the flower-filled interior he was used to. That was why he was quite surprised when he saw that half the flowers were gone.

"Surprised?" Ken noticed, seeing the surprised expression on Aya's usually stoic face. "The girls were actually buying today."

"You pervert!" Yoji insulted loudly, grabbing the collar of Aya's shirt and shaking him vigorously. "Why were you out on some date when we really needed you here?"

"None of your business," Aya snapped, prying Yoji's fingers from the collar of his shirt.

Yoji calmed down, or at least enough to speak without throwing another insult at Aya. "All right then, I'll just nag at you about that cross around your neck," he told Aya. "Did you get it from your girlfriend Sakura?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Aya corrected, rolling his eyes at Yoji's teasing. "And don't nag at me about the cross." He sighed. He cursed himself for forgetting to remove it before he walked in.

Yoji smiled mischievously. "I won't nag at you if you agree to help Ken clean the local Shinto temple for Momoe-san's neighbor," he said. "You won't get paid, but hey, at least you get to keep your sanity."

"Yoji-kun, don't you think that's a little too harsh for punishment?" Omi wondered.

Yoji ignored Omi's question. "Well Aya, whaddaya say?" he asked Aya.

Aya let out another sigh. "Fine, I'll help Ken clean the Shinto temple," he agreed. He didn't have a choice.

Aya parked his car next to the stairs leading to the local Shinto temple in Tokyo. He and Ken stepped out of the car and headed up the stairs.

"Did Sakura mess up on your birthday?" Ken asked Aya as they walked up the stairs.

"Yeah," Aya answered. "Why'd you ask?"

"Why else would she give you a cross necklace?" Ken replied.

Aya shrugged his slim shoulders. He was still wearing the cross necklace because he had not gotten around to taking it off.

Just as Aya and Ken were about to walk through the dull red torii, Aya suddenly halted. He felt, for an instant, something strange in his chest, right where the cross was lying.

"You okay, Aya?" Ken wondered, noticing Aya's sudden stop.

Aya nodded in silence. He and Ken continued on through the torii. The second they both set one foot into the torii, they felt a powerful jerk and everything blacked out, although they both were sure they were conscious.

The strong force that pulled Aya and Ken towards whatever seemed like strings tied around their necks, wrists, and ankles. The string around Aya's neck caused irregularities with his breathing, so he desperately wanted to put his hands up to his throat in hopes of prying the string from this neck, but he was unable to move any part of his body. The strings felt as though they could rip his body apart very easily. And, even though the surrounding area was all black, he could swear the darkness was racing past him and Ken. Finally, Aya and Ken stopped. It was still pitch black, so they were uncertain of where they were, but they knew they were on solid ground.

However, neither Aya nor Ken was out of danger just then. The strings around their necks, wrists, and ankles tightened and lifted them off their feet to slam them against what was probably a stone wall.

_What is this?_ Aya wondered, choking. The string around his neck continued to grow tighter. Judging from the choking sounds coming from Ken's direction, the same was happening to him as well.

"Do you think they're demons?" asked an unfamiliar female voice.

"They don't look like demons, but they could be disguising themselves," replied an unfamiliar male voice. "Hey, isn't that the Weiß Kreuz around his neck?"

"Yes, that is," the female confirmed. "We might as well take them both."

The string loosened around Aya's neck, but before he was able to fill his empty lungs with air, a strong hand closed on his throat. A surge of energy then flowed from the strong hand into his half-crushed throat. He immediately fell unconscious.


	3. Himmel und Gott

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 2: Himmel und Gott  
_C'mon brother…wake up, you lazy bum…please, I'll wake up too…_

Aya opened his pale violet eyes, but he wasn't thinking about where he currently was. Instead, he was pondering about the voice that was just in his head. It was the voice of his dear sister, who was right now in a coma.

"'Bout time you're awake," Ken said to Aya, who was next to him. "I was beginning to think whoever captured us accidentally choked you to death."

Aya sat up. This was difficult because his hands were chained behind his back and there was also a chain around his neck, just loose enough for him to breathe normally. Ken too had chains around his wrists and neck.

Aya looked around at his surroundings. He and Ken were trapped in a medium sized, dark, transparent dome. From what he could see through the dome, they were both under the clearest blue sky imaginable and resting on something white and fluffy…clouds?

"Where are we?" Aya asked Ken, feeling the fluffy stuff with the heel of his foot.

"No idea," Ken confessed. "I don't think we're dead, if you're thinking this is Heaven. I've kicked my ankle and it hurt. Besides, if we really died, we'd probably be sent to Hell."

Aya sighed. He did not like being trapped in a small dome in an unknown place, virtually defenseless.

Some time later, probably a half-hour, a tall, middle-aged man walked up to the dome Aya and Ken were trapped in. He had short, jet black hair that was pushed back and very dark brown eyes that were almost as emotionless as Aya's. He was dressed in a loose, plain white T-shirt and jeans. His face looked tough and stern, like he was the type of person who didn't take crap from anybody. His build was quite muscular, although not to the point he appeared he worked out every minute of his life. His skin was slightly tanner than Ken's, as if he spent a lot of time in the sun. What was unusual about this stranger's appearance was that he had large, feathery, angel-like wings on this back and a golden halo above this head.

"You know, we might be dead after all," Ken whispered to Aya, eyeing the halo above the stranger's head.

The stranger raised his hand and the dome enclosing the two former assassins vanished. Next he grabbed the chains around their necks and forced them to stand up.

"Come with me," the stranger ordered. "And if you really need to know, my name is Mayu Yumeki." Yumeki, still with the chains in his hands, turned around and walked forward. Aya and Ken followed, mainly because they didn't have a choice.

"What are your names?" Yumeki asked Aya and Ken after a few minutes of silence had passed.

"Hidaka Ken," Ken introduced himself.

Aya was a bit more hesitant. Finally the redhead answered, "Fujimiya Aya."

"Sounds more like a name for a girl," Yumeki commented. "Is that your real name?"

Aya didn't respond to Yumeki's question. He, Ken, and Yumeki continued walking in silence. As the two florists were walking, they discovered that they seemed more at peace here than they ever did before. They felt light, as if the atmosphere of this place wasn't pushing down on their bodies. They stopped thinking about what was going on and more about the peaceful sensation they had so longed for. Neither Aya nor Ken wanted to leave this place, so much like what Heaven could be if it really existed.

Finally they stopped in front of a large platform, the only thing other than clouds visible for as far as they could see. The platform was a smoky gray, and encrusted into the sides were symbols the two florists were unable to make out. On top of the platform was a crystalline cross that was much taller than even Yumeki. That cross resembled Aya's cross necklace to the point where it could be called a larger version of the necklace, except this cross was a deep, holy blue.

"Get down on your knees," Yumeki commanded. Aya and Ken obeyed him, and Yumeki also got down on his knees.

"O Father, grace us with thy holy presence," Yumeki chanted.

_O Father?_ Aya repeated. _Are we really in Heaven?_

The cross set into the platform began to glow strongly. Rays of light shot out from the corners of it. Although the cross's light was glowing brighter with each passing second, a silhouette of a robed man was clearly visible in front of the cross. Eventually the light emitting from the cross died down completely, revealing the man who was standing in front of the cross.

The man was a magnificent sight to behold. He stood so gracefully, that it seemed as if he was more than human (which he probably was). His flowing, dark purple hair, almost black, fell down to his slim waist. His bangs just barely hung above his deep, holy blue eyes, and the bangs grew longer as they sloped towards the sides of his face. His eyes made him look powerful and kingly, but as the same time, very gentle, just as the rest of this slightly tanned face did. On both ears were two pairs of earrings. One pair was of small hoops with golden rods hanging from the hoops. The second pair of earrings was a gold chain that was attached to the other pair. Around his neck hung a blue, crystalline cross that was the exact same size and shape as Aya's. This man wore robes, but not simple robes. The top half was a sky blue, and the edges were an orangish-yellow. Near the edges were green, snakelike patterns. The sleeves of the robes went down to the man's slender wrists, and they were rather large. The edges of the sleeves were also orangish-yellow. The sash tied around his waist was crimson red and its ends dangled right above his knees. The bottom half of the robes looked much like a dress with long slits on both sides. Like with the top half, the bottom half was sky blue with orangish-yellow edges and snakelike green patterns near the edges. The baggy pants he wore underneath the robes were a pure white and his footwear, which resembled tight-fitting slippers, were black. The weirdest thing about this man's appearance was that, like Yumeki, he had a golden halo above his head and feathery, white, angel-like wings, but unlike Yumeki, this man had three pairs of wings.

"Who are you?" Aya asked with a hint of disgust to his voice.

Yumeki yanked on the chain around Aya's neck. "Don't be disrespectful," he barked.

"I am God, ruler of Heaven, and the creator of the universe," the man introduced himself.

"Okay, now I'm convinced we're dead," Ken mumbled loudly. Yumeki pulled on the chain around the brunette's neck, but didn't say anything.

"Yumeki," God started, "why did you bring these two here? They are not demons. They are not even dead."

Yumeki got back on his feet and cleared his throat. "My Lord, these two were found in Subete," he began. "The angels who found them feared they were demons in disguise, so they brought the two here for You to decide."

"Good work," God commented. "Now, please leave us. I wish to speak to the two humans alone."

"As You wish, my Lord," Yumeki said, bowing. He disappeared along with the chains around Aya's and Ken's necks and wrists.

God stepped off of the platform and stopped in front of the two florists. From what they could tell, God was probably a little taller than Yoji.

"How did you two get into Subete, if you are not dead?" God wanted to know.

"First of all, what is Subete?" Ken asked.

"Subete is where Heaven, Hell, and the Surface World meet," God explained. "It is where the dead go to be judged of whether they will go to Heaven or Hell. Now that I have answered your question, please answer mine."

Ken sighed. "We're not entirely sure of how we got into Subete," he admitted. "We were walking through the torii that lead to the Shinto temple in Tokyo and we just kind of ended up in Subete."

"I have more to add," Aya said suddenly. Ken, shocked, quickly glanced at Aya.

"What is it?" God wondered.

Aya inhaled a deep breath. "Before we walked into the torii, I felt something strange in my chest, right where this cross is lying." He pointed at his cross necklace.

God picked Aya's cross necklace off his chest and examined it carefully. God seemed surprised when He saw the cross necklace, but the surprised expression on His face vanished when He looked up at Aya's face. "Where did you get this?" He asked Aya.

"A high school girl named Tomoe Sakura gave it to today," Aya answered.

God released Aya's cross necklace. "Your cross necklace, the Weiß Kreuz, is one of the three keys that led to Subete," He explained. He took His own blue cross necklace into His hand. "I own the Blau Kreuz, and Satan owns the Rot Kreuz. Each key can only be used by the beings they are intended for, so it is no surprise that you, since you are a human, can use the Weiß Kreuz. However…"

"What?" Ken urged, interested in learning more about the three Kreuze.

God shook His head. "Aya, Ken, if it is not too much trouble, would you mind helping me a little?" He wondered.

"How do You know our names?!" Ken demanded to know.

God chuckled. "I am the Almighty, remember?" He reminded. "I know everything about my children."

"Why do You need our help, and will we get a reward?" Aya asked in his emotionless voice.

"Maybe," God hinted at. "You see, there is a war, the 'Krieg von Tränen,' between Heaven and Hell. Humans are not meant to be involved in this war, but Satan is now having his demons possess humans. Because you two are here and now know about the Krieg von Tränen, I want you to free the possessed humans."

"Is that it?" Ken questioned.

"Probably not," God informed, shaking His head. "If the need arises, the Weiß Kreuz will begin to glow, signaling for you to come to Heaven. You do both understand?"

Both the two former members of Weiß nodded their heads.

God smiled. "Very well," He said. "Now you must return to the Surface World. Follow me." He stepped up onto the platform while Aya and Ken followed. Both God's and Aya's Kreuze started to glow as well as the large blue cross. Then everything blacked out and the two florists felt like they were being pulled towards something like before, but the pulling was not as rough. Finally they stopped, and now they could see where they were.

Subete looked much like a round cavern with no exit. Two tall, crystalline crosses, a red one and a white one, stood in front of the small group. Behind them stood a blue cross, identical to the one they saw in Heaven.

"The red cross leads to Hell, and the white cross leads to the Surface World," God explained. "The blue cross, as you already know, leads to Heaven. Angels and demons can enter Subete at will, but they cannot go any further unless a being from another world invites them. However, angels and demons may enter their spirit form, which enables them to go wherever they wish, but they normally cannot do anything as spirits. Satan must have given the demons a new power."

"What, angels can't possess humans?" Aya guessed.

"No, they cannot," God confirmed. "I do not allow them to do so. You must hurry back to the Surface World. I will be in Heaven if you are in need of guidance."

Aya and Ken walked towards the white cross. It and the Weiß Kreuz around Aya's neck shone brightly and in a little over an instant, they were back at the torii where they had first disappeared.


	4. Erste Mission

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 3: Erste Mission  
"That was just weird," Ken commented. "I mean, why couldn't we see when we first ended up in Subete?" He and Aya were in Aya's car, heading back to the Kitty in the House. They had given the Shinto temple a very quick clean-up.

"We could probably see in Subete the second time because God allowed us to see," Aya figured.

"Another thing," Ken began. "God was a bit short on details. If we're going to be helping Him, He could've told us more about the Krieg von Tränen or the Kreuze."

"I noticed that too," Aya agreed. "It can't be because He doesn't trust us…" _And He seemed to recognize me, as if He used to know me as someone else,_ he finished, but refused to say aloud.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Yoji glanced out of the window of the flower shop, which was now closed. "Where are they?" he wondered out loud. "It can't take that long to clean a Shinto temple!"

"Maybe it was vandalized," Omi guessed.

"Nah, I don't think it's that," Yoji disagreed. "Maybe they're-"

_Yoji-kun has a very sick mind,_ Omi thought after Yoji finished his sentence.

After a while, Yoji and Omi saw Aya's car pull up into the garage. When when he and Ken entered the shop, Yoji immediately demanded to know where they were and what they were doing.

"Sit down," Aya ordered after Yoji voiced his questions. "We'll tell you."

Yoji and Omi sat down on the couch, while Aya and Ken sat down at the table.

"We went to Heaven," Ken began.

"You mean you died?" Yoji blurted out.

Ken shook his head in response to Yoji's outburst. "No, we didn't. You see, Aya's cross necklace, the Weiß Kreuz, is one of the three keys that led to Subete. The torii to the Shinto temple is the gateway."

"Subete?" Omi repeated.

"Where Heaven, Hell, and the Surface World, our world, meet," Ken explained. "When we first ended up in Subete, we were knocked out by two angels and they brought to Heaven. When we woke up, we were brought in front of God."

"You met God?" Yoji interrupted.

"Let Ken finish," Aya commanded harshly.

"After we met God, we told Him how we got into Subete," Ken continued. "Then He asked if we could help Him."

"What did He need?" Omi asked.

"There is a war, called the 'Krieg von Tränen,' between Heaven and Hell," Ken answered. "Humans aren't supposed to get involved in this war, but Satan's demons are possessing humans. Our first mission is to free these humans."

"Question," Yoji said.

Aya turned his head to face Yoji. "What is it?"

"Ken, you said Aya's cross necklace was one of the three keys that lead to Subete," Yoji reminded. "Where are the other two?"

"God has one, and Satan has one," Ken told Yoji. "Any more questions?"

"Looks like Weiß is reborn," Yoji commented. "Let's start at night."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Out on an evening jog, Sakura pondered about the birthday present she had gotten Aya. It wasn't the cross necklace itself; she actually thought it suited him nicely, but she didn't know what possessed her to buy it. In fact, she barely remembered even purchasing the necklace. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she almost ran into the man in front of her. Luckily, she was able to stop herself, with a little help from the man.

"You should watch were you're running," the man suggested. "You might hurt someone, namely me." This man had dark brown hair that was rather spikey as well as brown eyes. His face appeared very stoic and his skin was pale, but not as white as snow. He was several inches taller than Sakura, but he was still about average height, which didn't look too odd with his slender build. He wore a navy blue shirt under a black, jean jacket, even though it was summer. His jeans were a lighter shade of black than his jacket. He seemed as if he was somewhere in his thirties.

"Sorry, um…" Sakura hesitated. "Uh, what's your name?"

"Kiseki Kodoku," the man answered. "And yours?"

_Weird name,_ Sakura commented, but didn't dare say aloud. _Sounds familiar, though._ She then introduced herself, "Tomoe Sakura. Pleased to meet you."

"Tomoe Sakura, eh?" Kodoku repeated. "That's a pretty name. Well, be more careful, okay?" Strangely enough, he did not smile once. "Take care." He brushed past Sakura and continued to walk down the sidewalk.

"Hey, Kiseki-san!" Sakura called out.

Kodoku halted and turned his head. "Hmm?" he sounded. "What is it?"

Sakura remembered where she had heard Kodoku's name. "Aren't you general of the military?" she guessed.

Kodoku nodded. "Yeah, but I've only been general for a year." He turned around and waved back as he resumed walking.

There was something strange about Kodoku, but Sakura just shrugged her shoulders and went back to jogging, this time being careful not to get lost in thought.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Later at night, the recently reunited assassin group Weiß was in the basement of the Kitty in the House, where they used to receive missions from their old employer before he was killed.

"So where do you think the possessed humans would be?" Ken asked the rest of Weiß.

"Let's try the Shinto temple," Omi suggested. "The demons may try to get the humans they're possessing in Hell."

Aya stood up. "Let's go now," he ordered in his low voice.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Weiß, now dressed in their assassin outfits, were nearing the Shinto temple, now climbing the stairs. So for they had not seen anybody.

"You sure about your idea, Omi?" Yoji asked Omi.

"Well, it made sense to me earlier…" Omi replied.

Soon the assassin group reached the torii, but instead of walking through it, they walked around it (for obvious reasons, since Aya was wearing the Weiß Kreuz). When they came to the temple, they saw that a man was praying at the temple.

"Who prays at this hour?" Yoji wondered aloud.

There was something unusual about the praying man, but Aya couldn't figure out what. Finally, the praying man stood up and turned around, revealing that his eyes were glowing a deadly blood red. Weiß then knew; this was a demon-possessed man.

The demon-possessed man lunged for Aya. Aya unsheathed his katana, but before he had a chance to use it, the possessed man smacked him across the face, knocking him to the ground.

"This must be our guy!" Yoji yelled. He fired a wire from the watch on his wrist, in hopes of binding the possessed man. The possessed man swiftly grabbed the wire and, with superhuman strength, swung Yoji into a nearby tree.

Ken unsheathed his bugnuks and charged for the possessed man. The possessed man, still with Yoji's wire in his hand, prepared to toss Yoji at Ken, but Ken was able to predict that move. Instead of a direct attack, he jumped up into the air, over the possessed man, and severed Yoji's wire. Once he did that, he was about to stab his bugnuks into the possessed man's back, but Omi stopped him.

"Wait Ken-kun, you can't kill him!" Omi screamed, bringing Ken to a halt. "He can't control himself!"

The possessed man, sensing Ken's hesitation, whirled around and sent his fist into the brunette's stomach. Saliva flew out of Ken's mouth as he dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach.

"Omi, if we kill him, the demon may leave him and his body unharmed," Aya guessed.

"Yeah, but-" Omi was cut off when the possessed man shot a dark energy beam at him. Yoji quickly fired a wire around Omi's ankle, pulling the younger blond out of the energy's path.

"Puppets of God," the possessed man started, "why do you serve Him? Satan can make you more powerful than you could ever imagine."

"And what would we do with that power?" Aya challenged. "Murder even more people?"

"You wouldn't use the power like that," the possessed man corrected. "You would use it to put an end to the Krieg von Tränen!" He yelled the last words as if he really meant them. He charged for Aya, ready to kill the redhead. Aya slashed his katana horizontally, but the possessed man caught the blade and yanked it out of Aya's hands. The possessed man then threw his knee into Aya's stomach before grabbing him by the shoulder and tossing him down hard on the solid cement.

"I'll be surprised if you can get up after that," the possessed man admitted, holding his hand above Aya, as if to fire an energy beam. "Such a waste to kill you."

"Don't forget about the rest of us!" Omi suggested, throwing five darts at the possessed man. Each dart was deflected by the possessed man, but that gave Aya a chance to crawl away and retrieve his katana.

"You all want to die so badly, don't you?" the possessed man assumed.

"If we die, then we'll have no choice but to fight in the war, right?" Ken asked. Since he was behind the possessed man, he tried to slash the man's back, but the possessed man saw this coming and seized Ken's wrist.

Before he was able to throw Ken over his shoulder, though, Yoji shot a wire around the possessed man's neck, forcing him to release Ken. He attempted to pry the wire from his throat. Yoji pulled harder on the wire to strangle the possessed man faster, but the possessed man emitted an energy blade from his hand and cut Yoji's wire. He then grabbed Yoji by his face and shoved him into a tree. The possessed man pulled his arm back, about to stab his energy blade into Yoji's chest. Aya, just in time, whacked the possessed man's back with the flat of his katana.

The possessed man released Yoji's face and turned around to face Aya. "You know, your sister is dying," he told Aya. "When she dies, I'll make sure she ends up in Hell. She'll be a great assist to us, don't you think?"

"Don't you dare talk about my sister!" Aya commanded outraged. He raised his katana and slashed across the possessed man's chest. The possessed man clutched his bleeding chest, but then Aya stabbed his katana through the possessed man's heart. He pushed his katana so far into the possessed man, all the way to the hilt and the blade pierced through the back. Blood poured onto Aya's gloved hands. He placed his foot on the possessed man's chest and jerked his katana free. The man's body fell to the ground, and as he was falling, a black mist escaped from his body and his wounds instantly closed up and disappeared.

"Guess you were right about getting the demon out of him," Omi said to Aya. Aya, however, was not listening. He was thinking about what the demon had told him about his sister. He looked down at his bloodstained hands and katana, stained because of his rage. He had not cared if he actually killed the man or not. He just wanted to silence the demon, even at the expense of the innocent man's life.

* * *

A/N: Just so that you know, Kodoku's last name, Kiseki, has nothing to do with the title of the story. It's just the Kiseki in his name and the Kiseki in the title mean the same thing. (Don't ask me how it happened that way. I still haven't figured that out myself. Oh well.)


	5. Gestohlene Seele

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 4: Gestohlene Seele  
_One week later._

Weiß had freed about fourteen humans from demons in the past week. They knew that because Aya said they had gotten them all. He didn't know how he knew; he just did. The rest of Weiß believed him because Omi pointed out, "He's the one with the cross necklace. It may have more powers that we're not aware of."

Lately Aya had been hearing the voice of his sister in his head. At first, the messages seemed like nothing more than simple greetings. But recently the messages were sounding more urgent, as if his sister desperately needed his help. He used to think he was merely hearing things and that he really needed to get out more, but now he believed the voice was serious. That was why he was heading over to the Magic Bus Hospital to visit his sister.

Aya stepped into his sister's hospital room. His sister was still lying in the hospital bed, unmoving and calm. "Aya," he began, placing his hand on his sister's cold hand. "Do you need my help?" He actually was expecting some sort of response.

He let out a heavy sigh when no response came. He felt like an idiot. There was no way she could talk to him, let alone use telepathy.

"I really need to get out more," Aya mumbled to himself. "Wake up soon, please…" he begged of his sister. He took his hand off her hand and left the hospital room.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Ow!" Yoji screamed as Omi put peroxide on the wound on his left arm to clean it. In their last battle against a demon-possessed human, Omi had misaimed with one of his darts and it struck Yoji in the arm. Currently they were in the basement of the Kitty in the House, along with Ken.

"You know, this wouldn't hurt as much if you would just hold still!" Omi suggested, very frustrated.

"This isn't my fault!" Yoji argued. "You're the little brat that threw the dart at me!"

"You got in my way!"

"How was I supposed to know you were throwing darts? You throw them too fast!"

"I think this is the real reason Weiß disbanded," Ken mumbled under his breath.

"You stay out of this!" both Omi and Yoji ordered Ken.

Aya walked down into the basement. "What's all the screaming about?" he asked. "I can hear you all the way upstairs."

"Yoji's still mad at Omi for misaiming with his darts," Ken answered dryly.

"We told you to stay outta this!" Yoji repeated, kicking Ken in the shins.

Aya sighed. "I'll go open the shop," he said, going back up the stairs. He rolled up the grates, revealing eager girls outside the shop.

"If you're not buying flowers, go away," Aya ordered. None of the girls moved.

Aya turned around and was about to yell down the stairs for the rest of Weiß to get up in the flower shop, but then the Weiß Kreuz around his neck started glowing. He quickly stuffed the necklace in his shirt and yelled down the stairs, "Hey, I just got a call! You'll need to watch the Kitty in the House without me!" Without waiting for a response, he left the flower shop to get to the garage, barely managing to get through the mob of girls.

He entered the garage and stepped into his car, started it up and pulled out of the garage. He drove towards the Shinto temple, which wasn't too far from the Kitty in the House. Once he reached the temple, he parked his car next to the stairs and began walking up the stairway.

Aya paused before he stepped into the torii. He was hesitant to go back to Heaven. He was unsure of whether it was right or wrong to get involved in the Krieg von Tränen. But he really didn't have a choice. He, like the rest of Weiß, knew of the Krieg von Tränen, and God would probably not allow them to back out on their promise. Aya walked into the torii and was pulled into Subete. He went up to the blue cross that led to Heaven and was teleported there. However, God was not waiting for him. The angel Yumeki was.

"Mayu?" Aya asked, surprised to see Yumeki.

"Hey Fujimiya," Yumeki greeted. "Listen, I called you here for personal reasons. God doesn't know about this, although He'll most likely find out soon, like He always does. Anyway, Satan's no longer having demons possess random humans. Instead, only one human is being possessed now. That human is General Kiseki Kodoku." Yumeki paused before continuing. "I don't see why a demon would bother possessing Kodoku, but Kodoku was a close friend before I was killed twenty years ago. I would prefer to do this alone, but I need you to get me into the Surface World. You understand, don't you?"

"This is a waste of my time," Aya replied. "I'm out of here." He turned around and was about to return to Subete, but Yumeki grabbed him by the elbow.

"You're not getting out of this that easily," Yumeki promised with a smirk. "Remember, you have to free ALL the possessed humans in Japan."

Aya couldn't think of anything to say to that. "Fine, I'll help you," he agreed reluctantly.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"So why were Satan's demons possessing humans in the first place?" Aya asked Yumeki, who was now in a human form. They were both in Aya's car, heading to the Asuka military base, where Yumeki said Kodoku would be holding a meeting with other high-ranking officials.

Yumeki shrugged his muscular shoulders. "No idea," he admitted. "I think Satan was trying to get something from the Surface World. Not sure what, though."

Finally they reached the Asuka military base. Aya had to park some distance from the base so that he did not arouse suspicion. However, neither of them minded having to walk to the main gate, where they were stopped by a uniformed soldier.

"I'm sorry, but the general public is not allowed beyond this point," the soldier informed Aya and Yumeki.

"I am Colonel Mayu Yumeki," Yumeki introduced himself, sounding as if he was chanting. "I am allowed beyond this point."

The soldier saluted Yumeki. "Welcome back, Colonel Mayu," he greeted. He opened the gate for Yumeki and Aya.

"No one knows you're dead?" Aya guessed as he and the angel entered the military base.

Yumeki shook his head. "No, I just played with that soldier's mind a little bit," he corrected. "We angels can do that, even though God doesn't approve. Man, I hate betraying His trust like this."

They continued walking down the hallway until they reached a large ventilation shaft. Yumeki removed the cover from the ventilation shaft and ordered Aya to get in. Aya crawled into the ventilation shaft, which was barely big enough for him. He wasn't sure if Yumeki would be able to fit, considering his muscular build, but Yumeki was able to fit, even if it was a little tight. After getting in, he placed the cover back on the ventilation shaft.

"Move forward," Yumeki commanded in a harsh whisper. Aya obeyed, and Yumeki followed. After what felt like hours (although it really wasn't) of crawling to Aya, he and Yumeki finally reached an exit. But instead of removing the cover and jumping out, the redhead assassin looked down into the room.

Down inside the room were uniformed officials sitting at a rectangular table. At the front of the table was a thirty-something year-old man dressed in the uniform for a Japanese general and a pair of large sunglasses.

"Move over," Yumeki whispered, pushing Aya over slightly. "See the man with the sunglasses and spikey brown hair? That's Kodoku. I knew him well before I died, but he was only a private at the time."

"General Kiseki, why did you call us to this meeting?" a soldier asked Kodoku.

"We need to find a certain person," Kodoku answered. "He has great power, and the Weiß Kreuz, which my superior wants."

"Who is this person?" another soldier asked in an emotionless tone.

"Fujimiya Ran," Kodoku informed. "And he is here now." A wicked grin formed on his face. He raised his hand in the direction of the ventilation shaft. Aya felt an invisible sting tie around his chest. And sure enough, when Kodoku pulled his hand back, Aya was yanked out of the ventilation shaft and thrown against a wall.

"You know, possessing this human was just a trap to lure you here," Kodoku told Aya. "Satan's real interested in you, but all we need from you right now is the Weiß Kreuz. Soldiers, seize him!"

Before Aya could move a muscle, two soldiers had grabbed his arms and a third soldier wrapped his arm around the redhead's throat. Kodoku stepped up to Aya and forcibly ripped the Weiß Kreuz off his neck. The demon-possessed Kodoku turned around, but before he could leave, Yumeki jumped out of the ventilation shaft in front of him.

"Been a while, 'Lonely Miracle,'" Yumeki greeted.

"Ah, this human's nickname from the last war," Kodoku mumbled. "You must be Mayu Yumeki, God's most faithful angel."

"I'm also the most powerful," Yumeki bragged. "And I'll show you why." A blue energy sphere appeared in his hand and fired it at Kodoku. Kodoku jumped to one side to avoid the energy sphere. But Yumeki didn't care if he hit Kodoku or not. He just wanted to show off his power. And, when the energy sphere hit the wall, a large chunk of it was blown away.

"Is that your best?" Kodoku asked mockingly.

"I'm just getting warmed up," Yumeki corrected.

By this time, Aya had nearly gotten free of the three soldiers binding him. He kicked the soldier choking him in the shins. The soldier, in surprise, loosed his grip on Aya's throat, allowing Aya to pull himself free of that soldier's hold. He yanked his right arm out of the grip of the second soldier and used the freed arm to punch the third soldier across the face so that his left arm was released as well. Yumeki noticed that Aya was becoming free and decided to warn him of the ensuring battle.

"Fujimiya, this may get ugly," Yumeki warned Aya. "If you value your life, you'll escape now! I'll get the Weiß Kreuz back!"

Without responding, Aya hastily climbed back into the ventilation shaft and started moving forward. A few seconds later there was another explosion and the ventilation shaft filled up with thick smoke. Aya closed his eyes and covered his nose and mouth to avoid inhaling too much of the smoke. He hoped that Yumeki was not on the receiving end of that blast.

His violet eyes still closed, he continued on for a couple of minutes. Soon, quite suddenly, something forcibly pushed him upward, through the ceilings and up onto the roof. Once he was up on the roof, he could see that it was Kodoku who had pushed him upward. But Kodoku did not look unharmed. His clothes were torn and he suffered a few flesh wounds. Also, he had lost his sunglasses, revealing his eyes, whose irises were a deadly red.

"You're in over your head," Kodoku told Aya. "Not even Yumeki could withstand my power." He walked over to Aya, kneeled over, and seized the former assassin's throat with both hands. "You know, it might be fun to kill you in a human fashion. I'm not supposed to kill you, but I need some payback for the trouble you've caused me." He squeezed Aya's throat tightly. His strength far surpassed any human's. Already Aya's lungs were aching for air. However, he could not fight back. His back was too sore for him to move from being bashed through a load of hard ceilings. His hands went up the hands crushing his throat. His face was slowing turning blue. He opened his mouth to get a breath of air, but was unable to due to the fact Kodoku was crushing the windpipe in his throat completely.

Just as he thought he was about to die, an explosion occurred beneath him and Kodoku that sent Aya flying off the roof. He was not sure of how high in the air he was. Yet he was prepared for when he hit the ground and broke either his neck or back.

He never hit the ground. Almost immediately after he was thrown off the roof, he felt strong hands grab his shoulders, stopping his fall. Feathery wings flapped against his sides.

To save Aya, Yumeki had caused an explosion beneath Kodoku and Aya in hopes of causing Aya to get thrown off the roof. After that, he transformed into his angel form and caught Aya before he hit the ground. Yumeki flew back up to the roof and landed as well as setting Aya down. He then returned the Weiß Kreuz, which he had gotten back from Kodoku, to Aya.

"It'll take a lot more than your weak power to get rid of me," Yumeki informed Kodoku. "I'm much stronger in my true form. You can't beat me unless you transform as well, but you can't since you're possessing Kodoku."

"Shut up!" Kodoku yelled. He forced a dark energy blade to emit from his hand and charged for Yumeki. Yumeki evaded the energy effortlessly and blew Kodoku back with extreme force. He created his own energy blade and stepped up to Kodoku.

"Leave his body now, demon," Yumeki commanded, pointing his energy blade between Kodoku's eyes.

Kodoku's eyes started flashing from red to brown. "Please, help me…" he pleaded, as if he was fighting against the demon possessing him. "Colonel…Mayu…" He screamed loudly. As he screamed, a black, cloudlike mist escaped his body. He fell limply to the floor, his brown eyes lifeless.

"Kodoku?" Yumeki exclaimed, kneeling over and shaking Kodoku's dead body vigorously. "No…the demon's stolen his soul."

"There's no hope of getting it back, is there?" Aya guessed.

Yumeki shook his head. "You die when your soul leaves your body, and since Kodoku's soul was stolen by a demon, he will most likely end up in Hell." He banged his fist down on the roof. "He never deserved to go to Hell. That should be me going down to Hell, not him…"


	6. Blauer Schmerz

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 5: Blauer Schmerz  
"Yoji's late," Ken pointed out, looking at his watch. He and Omi were waiting for Yoji outside a local restaurant. Yoji had promised to meet them at 10:00. It was now 10:25.

"If he doesn't show up in fifteen minutes, we order without him and he pays," Omi planned. Ken didn't object to that plan.

The next few minutes passed by so slowly, that Omi thought he was going to go insane. As he was cursing Yoji for being so late, he noticed faint red marks on Ken's arms. Wanting to get a closer look at Ken's arms without him noticing, Omi inched slightly nearer to the brunette. The red marks were hard to make out in the bright sunlight, but Omi knew what he saw. The "red marks" were actually cuts that appeared to have resulted from a blade, such as a knife or…

_Bugnuks._ The word crept into Omi's mind unexpectedly. None of the possessed humans had used a blade, and Ken didn't go anywhere during the past week, so the only explanation for his wounds was that he was cutting himself. _But why?_ Omi asked himself. Ken seemed to be perfectly normal and mentally healthy, so why would he be cutting himself? Omi shook his head, pushing the thought from his mind. _Ken-kun's not cutting himself,_ he thought. _There must be another explanation…_

Six minutes later, the two members of Weiß saw Yoji running up to them, but he was not alone. With him was a beautiful young woman. For a Japanese woman, she was tall, probably as tall as Omi. She had long, pale blue hair whose bangs slightly hung in front of her sky blue eyes. Her light skin was accented by the tight black shirt she wore. Her pretty face looked very kind, but underneath the mask, it seemed, there was a strong will. In addition to the black shirt, she also wore a dark blue, knee-length skirt, which, like her shirt, gently hugged her slim curves. She had black sandals on her feet to go with her outfit. However, despite this beauty, this lovely woman looked as if she was sad about something.

"Hey guys!" Yoji greeted when he reached Omi and Ken. "Sorry I'm late. I was picking up my girlfriend, and I got lost on the way to her house."

"When did you get a girlfriend?" Ken asked.

"I met her a week ago," Yoji answered. "Introduce yourself, Aoi."

"My name is Itami Aoi," Yoji's girlfriend introduced herself. "I'm pleased to meet you two. Yoji has told me a lot about the both of you."

"I'm pleased to meet you too," Omi replied politely. "Since we're all here now, let's order our food." However, he wasn't feeling very hungry now. Ken's cuts were bothering him. The other three agreed with Omi's suggestion and they entered the restaurant, where they were greeted by the waiter.

"Smoking or non-smoking?" the waiter needed to know.

"Non-smoking, please," Yoji requested.

"Non-smoking?" Omi repeated, confused.

"Aoi doesn't smoke, so I'm trying to stop smoking for her," Yoji explained.

The waiter escorted the group of four to a table near a large window. Ken sat down next to Omi and Aoi sat down next to Yoji. "Here are the menus," the waiter presented, handing the group their menus.

Omi opened the menu and glanced through it. "Are we all paying?" he wondered aloud.

"No," Yoji corrected. "I'll pay for everything."

"You sure?" Ken questioned, looking over at the menu in Omi's hands. "The prices are pretty high.

"I'm sure," Yoji confirmed.

The waiter returned and requested everyone's order. They ordered what they wanted and the waiter left to go get their food.

"So how did you and Aoi-san meet?" Omi asked Yoji.

"Oh, that's such a great story," Yoji commented. "Anyway, after our little 'trip' to the Shinto temple, I decided to head over to the bar for a drink. As I was driving, I noticed Aoi walking on the sidewalk. Since she's such a beauty, I couldn't resist offering her a ride."

"Yoji first took me to the flower shop where he worked and gave me a dozen white roses," Aoi continued. "He then drove me home, where we made plans to see each other the next day."

"When did you two finally realize your love for each other?" Ken wanted to know.

"Two days ago," Yoji explained. "In fact, Aoi made the first move. We were in the park when she just suddenly wrapped her arms around me and said, 'You're so kind. I want to be with you forever.' I was so overjoyed that she returned my feelings that I kissed her more passionately than I've ever kissed any woman."

"We probably kissed for who knows how long, but it only felt like a few seconds," Aoi added.

"Thought about marriage yet?" Omi teased, grinning broadly.

"Whoa, let's not rush things!" Yoji replied hastily, blushing madly. Aoi just laughed quietly.

The waiter soon returned with the group's order. Everyone took what they ordered and began devouring their food. For a few minutes, they ate in peace, but then, quite suddenly, two faded, illusion-like, humanoid projections, frozen in time, appeared in the restaurant. One looked like a male angel, and the other was too blurred to make out.

"Aya-kun?!" Omi exclaimed. The angel looked almost exactly like Aya. But the angel illusion had duller red hair that was slightly longer, brighter violet eyes, and he was dressed in an outfit Omi could not imagine Aya wearing: silver armor with many rubies set in it.

"Did Aya die?" Ken wondered aloud.

Finally, just as abruptly as they appeared, the two illusions vanished. While they were in the restaurant, the customers, waiters, waitresses, and everyone else had gone completely silent. Now that the two illusions were gone, everyone was talking about them and wondering what they could've meant.

"Yoji, Omi, we need to talk," Ken said to the two blonds. "Aoi-san, we'll be back in a minute."

"Okay," Aoi responded.

Yoji and Omi stood up and followed Ken into the men's restroom. Once Ken made sure no one else was in the restroom, he decided it was safe to talk about the angel that resembled Aya. "Did Aya tell either of you were he was going?" Ken needed to know of Yoji and Omi.

Omi shook his head. "I did think it had something to do with Heaven, if he left that fast," he voiced.

"That idiot," Yoji insulted. "That is just like him. I wouldn't be surprised if he did die."

"Look, I'll go over to Heaven later and see what's going on," Ken decided.

"Wait, I thought you couldn't get into Heaven without Aya-kun's cross necklace," Omi reminded.

"Oh yeah," Ken remembered. "Then if he comes back, we'll question him."

"Okay," Yoji and Omi agreed. The three guys left the men's restroom and went back to their table. Aoi was holding the check, which she handed to Yoji.

"¥7600, eh?" Yoji read aloud from the check. "That's not too bad…" He pulled out his wallet and opened it, now realizing he was a little short on cash. "Um…I'm short ¥2100."

Ken rolled his eyes and pulled ¥2100 from his own wallet and handed the cash to Yoji. "You better pay me back soon," he ordered Yoji.

"Don't worry, I will," Yoji promised. He walked over to the cashier as the others followed. He paid the cashier and the small group left the restaurant.

"Hey, I'm gonna escort Aoi home, so I'll meet you back at the Kitty in the House, 'kay?" Yoji said.

"Sure, Yoji-kun," Omi allowed.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

The clear blue sky, so peaceful, could comfort almost all those who gazed up at it. Almost all. Yumeki found that no matter how long he stared up at the blue sky, he couldn't find comfort. The light feel of Heaven's atmosphere couldn't help much either. He was too used to it, having lived in Heaven for about twenty years.

God never spoke to him about his recent return to the Surface World. When he came back to Heaven, God had been waiting for him. There was such disappointment in the Almighty's holy blue eyes that Yumeki thought he was going to be flung down to Hell. But instead, God just stared at Yumeki for a few uneasy minutes and left. The angel wanted to go after God and to explain everything, but he was frightened to do so. Even though God was kind and gentle, He still had an aura of greatness and intimidation that made one fear what would happen if He became angered or annoyed.

_I need to talk to Him about Kodoku,_ Yumeki told himself._ But I can't face Him right now. That disappointment in His eyes…and I'm supposed to be His most faithful angel? _He sighed. _What am I saying? It's not like I belong in Heaven…_ He shook his head slightly to clear his mind. He decided to get some rest. He kind of needed it after battling with the demon that had possessed Kodoku.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

A half hour later, Omi and Ken were back at the Kitty in the House. It was still open, although no girls were crowding around it.

"Thanks for covering for us," Ken thanked Momoe, who was softly stroking her sleepy calico's fur.

"You're welcome," Momoe replied.

Omi came over to Momoe and patted her calico on its small head. He then saw Aya's car pull up into the garage. "Here comes Aya-kun," he announced. "Momoe-san, you'll need to watch the shop for a little longer," he told the old woman.

Aya entered the shop and was immediately greeted by Omi and Ken. "Hello, Aya-kun," the blond greeted. "Come with us, please."

Aya, although quite puzzled, followed the other two florists into the basement. Ken leaned against the wall. "Something strange happened today," he began. "While you were off somewhere else, the rest of us went to a restaurant for lunch. As we were eating, the projectiles of an angel and something else _-- _it was blurred, so I couldn't tell what it was _--_ appeared. But you know what the strange thing was? The angel looked almost exactly like you."

"So our question is, where were you?" Omi asked.

Aya hesitated. "I was…on a mission," he answered uneasily.

"So you don't know anything about that angel?" Omi guessed, very disappointed.

Aya shook his head, his two ear-tails barely swinging.

Omi accepted Aya's answer, but Ken was a bit more suspicious. He believed Aya's answer, but the brunette sensed that the redhead was hiding something. And, although Ken refused to admit this to himself, he was slightly jealous that Aya got to go back to Heaven.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Thanks for escorting me home," Aoi thanked Yoji as they reached her house.

"No problem," Yoji said. "I can't just let a pretty girl like yourself walk home by herself, now can I? That wouldn't look right."

Aoi chuckled. She lightly kissed Yoji's cheek and stepped up to the door of her house. She unlocked the door and strode into her house.

The blue-haired beauty looked out the window and saw Yoji walking down the street. He was walking happily enough, but she sensed some sadness from him. Maybe he really didn't love her.

She pushed the thought from her mind. She removed her sandals and went into the living room to sit down on the couch. She hated lying to Yoji about herself. She wanted to tell him the truth, but he probably wouldn't believe her. _Get a grip on yourself,_ she ordered herself. _You're disobeying orders. You're not supposed to fall in love with him._ She knew it was wrong, but she believed that she did love Yoji sincerely, and he seemed to love her too.


	7. Heimliche Pläne

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 6: Heimliche Pläne  
_Midnight._

Ken slowly got off his bed and quietly got dressed. He slipped his bugnuks into the breast pocket of his light jacket just in case he needed them. He left his room, making as little noise as possible. He allowed his dull green eyes to adjust to the darkness before continuing on. But, even after his eyes were adjusted to the darkness, he would still have to feel around due to the almost total lack of light.

He walked forward, feeling around until he reached Aya's room. He started to slowly open the door, but the door made a loud creaking noise, making the former soccer player freeze in fear. The noise did not seem to have woken Aya, and Ken let out a silent sigh of relief. _Now, where is it?_ he asked himself, stepping into the room. He reached out and laid his hand on what was Aya's bedside table. He moved his hand around until it landed on the Weiß Kreuz. He pocketed the cross necklace and turned around to leave the room, but then suddenly stopped at the sound of the redhead's stoic voice.

"No don't…" Aya ordered, talking in his sleep. He rolled over onto his right side, away from Ken. "Don't leave… Sakura…"

Ken, trying to ignore Aya's sleep talking, left the bedroom. He returned to his own bedroom to get his motorcycle helmet. He then headed over to the garage and opened it up. Next he dragged his motorcycle out of the garage before closing it. He placed his helmet over his head, jumped onto the motorcycle, started it up, and drove towards the Shinto temple.

Soon the brunette came to the stairs that led up to the Shinto temple. He stopped the motorcycle and got off it. He removed his helmet and put it on the seat of the motorcycle before hiding it in the thick bushes. He pulled the Weiß Kreuz out of his pocket and tied it around his neck. He began walking up the stairs, but paused at the torii.

Ken inhaled a deep breath and entered the torii. He felt the pulling expected and, in a few seconds, appeared in Subete. But the pulling had felt rougher to him than it did before. He got back on his feet and went up to the blue cross that led to Heaven. That cross and the cross around Ken's neck both shone, and the surrounding area melted away, revealing the eternal darkness. He was being pulled towards something, just like last time, but now he also felt like daggers were being stabbed into his body. He screamed loudly and passed out because of the extreme pain.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Yoji swiftly sat up in his bed after being awoken from a restless sleep. He glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes after midnight. He stood up and threw on a long bathrobe and decided to take a walk inside the Kitty in the House in hopes of tiring himself out. He walked through the kitchen and main section, and finally climbed down into the basement. He sat down on the couch and leaned his head back. He didn't feel anymore tired than he did a few minutes ago.

"Still awake, Yoji-kun?" Omi asked, just coming down the stairs.

"Yeah," Yoji answered. "Why are you still awake? Kids like you need lots of sleep."

"I'm not that young," Omi corrected. "Besides, Ken-kun's motorcycle woke me up and now I can't get back to sleep."

A weak smile formed on Yoji's lips. "Nuthin' like a late night ride. He really needs it. He's been so moody ever since he went to Heaven."

Omi folded his arms across his small chest. "Why are you still awake?" he wondered.

Suddenly the blond playboy seemed depressed. "Hey, do you think I deserve Aoi?" he wanted to know of Omi. "You know, with me being a former assassin."

"I really don't know," the younger blond confessed. "We're not really assassins anymore, but we could still be considered assassins because to free the demon-possessed humans, we had to 'kill' them."

Yoji sighed. "I really love Aoi, but I'm afraid to be with her. I mean, I haven't even tried to get her in bed with me yet, and you'd think I would've a long time ago. Well, thanks anyway, kiddo." He stood up. "I'm going back to bed now. G'night." He patted Omi on the head and he brushed past the blue-eyed blond to return to his room.

"Yoji-kun," Omi whispered softly, "maybe none of us deserve a girl like Aoi-san, but there's no harm in wishing."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

_"Sakura!"_

Sakura turned her head to look behind her, her rose-colored eyes filled with tears. "Aya-san…" she said weakly. "Why…?"

_"I don't want you to leave."_

The girl looked away. The tears escaped from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks like raindrops on a window.

_"You shouldn't have done that for me. I didn't deserve it."_

Sakura said nothing. The creeping darkness reached out for her and slowly, as if to torture her, engulfed her in its dark light. She soon vanished entirely into the eternal darkness.

_"No don't…don't leave…Sakura!"_

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya awoke with a jolt. The dream disturbed him. He had been having weird dreams for the past few months, all of which disturbed him. He never had the same dream twice, but in a sense, they were all still the same. They seemed like messages, trying to tell him something about himself. And all the dreams made the phase "Kiseki no Hoshi" creep into his mind.

_Kiseki no Hoshi._ He had never heard that phase ever in his life, but yet, in the deepest reaches of his mind, it sounded familiar, as if it was a nickname he used as a child and half-forgotten about. No, that wasn't right. He had used the name before, but not as a child. More like in a past life…

He ran his fingers through his vivid red hair. That was the first time Sakura had appeared in a dream. He wondered why she was in this dream. It made no sense to him. In the dream, he did not want her to leave, but he always thought that he wouldn't have cared if she left. He was actually frightened of the dream. What if it meant something, and Sakura was hurt because of him? Or even killed?

He shoved the thought out of his head. No, she wouldn't be hurt or killed because of him. Even though he was an assassin, he, like the rest of Weiß, made sure no innocent bystanders were hurt because of them. He refused to allow Sakura to be hurt or killed because of him, and to make sure of that, he decided to stay away from her, no matter what. _But,_ he asked himself, _can you really stand to be away from her?_ He could not think of any way to counter that, so he just drifted back off to an uneasy sleep. And as he slept, he realized that he would not be able to keep himself apart from Sakura, but he was still fearful for her safety. Maybe, he hoped, the dreams meant nothing.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Life was pain. It had always been that way for Ken. Living through even one day took much of his strength. Doing so left him in pain, which he had grown used to. Or so he thought. Ending up in Heaven made him realize he was not used to the pain. The light atmosphere of Heaven relieved him of his pain temporary, but when he came back to the Surface World, the pain swarmed so quickly back to him, that it was almost too much for him. He wanted nothing more than to go back to Heaven, away from all the pain. However, trying to get to Heaven with the Weiß Kreuz had caused him so much more pain, he wondered if it was worth going through that much pain just to relieve his old pain only temporary. Maybe it would be better if he just died, but then there was the chance he would go down to Hell than up to Heaven.

"Hidaka, wake up," ordered someone near Ken.

Ken, resting on fluffy clouds, opened his eyes. Standing over him was Yumeki, munching on what looked like a chocolate bar. "Mayu?" the brown-haired member of Weiß asked, still a bit dazed.

"Want a Snickers?" Yumeki wondered, handing an unopened chocolate bar to Ken.

"A what?"

"Some western candy that tastes pretty good."

Ken sat up and accepted the Snickers. He unwrapped it and took a large bite out of it. It was delicious, so he quickly devoured the rest. It seemed to fill his empty stomach rather easily.

"Why did you come here?" Yumeki demanded to know, his voice becoming harsh.

"I-" Ken hesitated. He didn't want to tell Yumeki that he only wanted to come to Heaven just to get away from his pain.

"Answer me!" the angel commanded. "If God found out you were here, He'll be furious! You're lucky you didn't die!"

Those words stuck Ken like Omi's darts. "What do you mean by that?' he wondered.

Yumeki sighed. "To use any of the three Kreuze, it takes a lot of energy. For most, the effort involved would reduce them to practically nothing. Those lucky enough to survive end up completely exhausted for a while. The only people I know who can use the Kreuze effortlessly are God, Satan, and-" he paused, "-your friend Fujimiya."

Ken almost choked on the bits of the chocolate bar that were still in his mouth. "Wait, how's that?" he exclaimed. "And why didn't I feel exhausted when I first came to Heaven?"

Yumeki turned his face away from Ken's. "The Kreuze only use the energy of the person using it," he explained. "It doesn't matter if there's a second person or not. And no, I don't know why Fujimiya can use the Weiß Kreuz effortlessly. He shouldn't be able to. I mean, the only reason the Kreuze require loads of energy is so that humans don't get involved in the Krieg von Tränen."

"I see…" Instinctively, Ken reached up to his neck to straighten the chain of the Weiß Kreuz, but then noticed the cross necklace missing.

Yumeki held up the Weiß Kreuz, a smirk on his face. "Looking for this?"

"Hey, gimme that!" Ken ordered, lunging for the cross necklace. Yumeki stopped Ken with his arm, holding the cross out of Ken's reach.

"I can't let you have this back yet," the angel told the assassin. "You need to wait a week in Surface World time before you have enough strength to use it again!"

Ken stepped away from Yumeki. "Where am I supposed to stay for a week?"

"You can stay here," Yumeki allowed. "This is my section, but you can't see anything special since you're not an angel." He paused before continuing. "I need to talk to God for a while, so you'll be alone for a few hours. No one should see you because right now I'm not allowing anyone to see anything, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Okay, I get it," Ken acknowledged.

"Glad you get it," Yumeki replied happily. "See you later." He disappeared in less than a second.

Ken sat back down on the clouds. He studied the cuts on his arms and then caressed the shallow wounds.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"It's 7:00, time for all you lazy bums to get your butts to work," went Aya's radio alarm. Aya lazily stretched his slender arm out and turned the alarm off. He groaned and rolled over on his back. He then kicked the blankets off him and got out of the bed. From his dresser, he pulled out a sleeveless gray shirt, blue jeans, and white socks and got himself dressed. After that, he laid his hand on his bedside table, intending to pick up the Weiß Kreuz, but it wasn't there. Aya just shook his head and decided to look for the necklace later.

Omi poked his head into the bedroom. "Hey Aya-kun, do you know where Ken-kun went? He hasn't come back yet."

Aya nodded. If both the Weiß Kreuz and Ken were missing, then there was only one explanation. "He went back to Heaven," he told Omi.

The blond was puzzled. "Why would Ken-kun want to go back to Heaven…?" he asked, mostly to himself. "Unless he wants to figure out what that one angel means…"

Aya shrugged his shoulders in response. He brushed past Omi to leave his room. As he walked down into the kitchen, he silently prayed that Ken discovered something. The redhead was just as curious as Omi about that look-alike angel he was told about.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Keeping secrets from others was hard, especially from one's own boyfriend. Aoi wanted so badly to talk to Yoji, but she was afraid she would accidentally tell him something she would regret. She picked up her cordless phone, about to dial the number for the Kitty in the House, but then decided against it. She knew for a fact Yoji didn't wake up this early. Besides, she preferred talking to him in person. She liked seeing him, and listening to his smooth voice…

Aoi let out a heavy sigh. Talking to Yoji in person would increase the chances of her saying something she didn't want to, but talking to her boyfriend over the phone just wasn't the same. She had to see him in person. She decided that she would go over to the Kitty in the House to see Yoji later today.

She smiled and leaned up against the left wall of her living room. Being back wouldn't haven been so bad if she did not have to keep those secrets from Yoji.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Yumeki appeared in front of God quite suddenly. "My Lord, I really need to talk to You," he informed the Almighty, who was currently just wandering through Heaven.

God make no motion, nor said anything, but Yumeki knew it was all right to speak freely. So, although very nervous, he cleared his throat and began. "It's about Kodoku," he stated. "He didn't deserve to go to Hell. Even though he was a soldier, he always tried not to kill anyone. So why did he have to go down to Hell when someone like me would be allowed in Heaven?"

"Yumeki, you are right; Kodoku did not deserve to go down to Hell," God agreed, His voice gentle. "But his soul was stolen by a demon and given to Satan, so therefore he could not be accepted into Heaven. Do you understand now?"

The angel's hand balled up into a fist. "Yes, I do now," he acknowledged through gritted teeth.

God took a few steps closer to Yumeki. "I am sorry," He apologized. "If Kodoku had been killed normally, I would have been happy to accept him into Heaven."

Yumeki found that he could no longer look at God straight in His holy blue eyes. The angel stared down at his feet, hoping that God did not notice. "That is a little reassuring," he replied.

The Almighty laid His hand on Yumeki's right shoulder. "One more thing, Yumeki," He said. "I do know that Hidaka Ken is in Heaven, and I also know why he returned. Sometime I would like to talk to him. Could you please tell him that?"

Yumeki forced a small smile. "Sure," he complied. "Are you sure you can't do anything about Kodoku?"

God shook His head, a sorrowful look in His peaceful eyes.

Yumeki let out a heavy sigh. "Sorry to burden You so much with my own personal problems," he apologized in a soft voice.

"So you're giving up on me?" asked a familiar voice. "Some friend you are."

"Kodoku?" Yumeki exclaimed, swiftly turning around. Kodoku, who now had black devil horns growing out of his head and large demon wings on his back, stood behind Yumeki, leading a huge troop of other demons.

"Demons, begin the attack!" Kodoku ordered the demons behind him. The demons all charged forward, but then were all blown back effortlessly by God.

"Yumeki, go tell the rest of Heaven we are under attack," God commanded Yumeki.

"Yes, God," Yumeki said, vanishing. He was not the least bit worried about God. The Almighty was more powerful than all those demons combined.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Ken stared up at the clear blue sky. It comforted him, allowing him to forget about the fact that the second he returned to the Surface World, all the pain would rush back to him. He closed his eyes, intending to fall asleep, but a loud scream brought him back to reality. He quickly stood up and slipped on his bugnuks.

_Where did that scream come from?_ Ken asked himself, looking around. He then noticed a solitary person in the distance. The person was probably a demon, for he had a pair of black devil horns growing out of his head and purplish demons wings on his back, but he had three pairs of wings, instead of one like Ken would have expected. Ken could not make out much more about the demon because the demon had his back turned to the brunette, although it was clear that this demon had long black hair with a bit of a raspberry shine to it tied back in a loose pony-tail.

Ken took a few steps forwards, wondering who this demon was. He immediately stopped himself when he sensed an evil aura from the demon, who really wasn't a mere demon. _That must be Satan!_ he figured. _It has to be!_

Satan outstretched His arm and demons, who really did only have one pair of wings, appeared behind Him, obscuring Ken's view of the Devil. The demons and Satan then flew forward, leaving Ken alone once again.

His solitude only lasted for a few seconds. Yumeki soon appeared very abruptly next to him. "You picked a bad time to come to Heaven," the angel told the assassin. "Because of this battle, you'll have to attempt to return to the Surface World. I'll lend you some of my power."

"Okay," Ken reluctantly agreed, slightly worried about Yumeki.

A small smile formed on Yumeki's face. He laid his hand on Ken's shoulder and teleported him as well as himself to the blue cross that led to Subete. Once they were at the cross, they used it to get to Subete. The pulling was still there, although it was much gentler for Ken this time. _Probably because of Yumeki,_ he guessed.

Once in Subete, Yumeki handed the Weiß Kreuz to Ken and advanced towards the large white cross that led to the Surface World. He laid his hand on the cross. "If this works, you shouldn't die when you return to the Surface World," the angel figured.

"That's very reassuring," Ken mumbled with a hint of sarcasm.

"Hey, God did find out you were in Heaven," Yumeki informed Ken. "He wanted to talk to you, but like I said before, it wouldn't be safe for you to remain in Heaven during a battle, and He would agree with me."

Ken said nothing in reply. He went up to the white cross and it, along with the Weiß Kreuz in Ken's hand, started glowing and he was teleported back to his own world.

Yumeki fell to his knees, exhausted. Half his power had been drained away because of helping Ken. He would have to rest for a little while before going back to Heaven.

"You fool," insulted Kodoku as he appeared behind Yumeki. "You could've stolen his soul and gotten God a new soldier."

"That's the Devil's job, 'Lonely Miracle,'" Yumeki snapped back. He got on his feet, turned around to face the lonely miracle, and prepared to defend himself.

Kodoku held up a hand, as if to tell Yumeki he did not want to fight. "I didn't come here to fight you," he admitted. "I came here to talk to you about the Krieg von Tränen."

Yumeki relaxed his muscles. "What about the Krieg von Tränen?"

"This war is pointless, that's how I see it," the demon confessed. "You see, I want you to help me put an end to his war. With me in Hell and you in Heaven, we might be able to do something." He laid his hand on Yumeki's strong shoulder, and his fingers lightly brushed the skin beneath Yumeki's earlobe. "We'll meet back here in three days of Surface World time to discuss this more, alright?"

"You don't hate me?" Yumeki asked, ignoring Kodoku's question.

Kodoku shook his head. "Nah, it's not your fault," he confirmed. "Well, three days?"

Yumeki forced a tiny smile. "Sure," he answered. "See ya." He walked up to the blue cross and went back to Heaven.

Kodoku stepped a little close to the tall blue cross. "Sorry, old friend," he whispered softly.


	8. Kummervolles Lied

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

A/N: If you have the song "Eternal Wind" (Gundam F91 ending theme) anywhere on a CD or your computer, have it ready to play. That song goes perfectly with the end of this chapter. When you should start up the song, you ask? Oh, you'll know.

Kapitel 7: Kummervolles Lied  
It had been only an hour since Ken went back to Heaven. When he returned to the Kitty in the House, no one questioned him about his reasons for his trip to Heaven. He was mildly surprised about that, but he thought it was better that way. He had no desire to explain his reasons for wanting to go to Heaven. Aya and Yoji would probably not say much, but Omi would do everything he could about the soccer player's pain. But Ken did not want Omi's, or anyone else's, help. He especially did not want to know what would happen if Omi found out that he was cutting himself. Who knew how the youngest member of Weiß would react?

Ken lay in his bed, fully dressed. He was not tried; he just felt like lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Aya and Yoji were out buying new flower vases and Omi was tending the shop. Ken normally would be helping Omi, but he did not feel like working right now.

The brunette rolled over on his side. He had a clear view of the cuts on his left arm now. He had started cutting himself after his first trip in Heaven. He knew he should not cut himself, but he had no other way of easing the pain and he was hesitant to tell the other members of Weiß about his pain.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"So are your favorite flower white roses?" Omi asked Aoi, who was looking at the roses, especially the white ones. While Omi was working, Aoi had come over, saying she wanted to see Yoji. However, Yoji was out shopping with Aya, but Omi told Aoi that her boyfriend would be back soon.

"Uh-huh," Aoi answered. She reached out and gently touched the bud of a rose that had not yet bloomed.

Omi smiled broadly. He could tell Aoi wasn't interested in talking right now, so he went back to tending the flowers.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"This one, and this one…oh, can't forget about this one!" Yoji said happily as he scrambled random flower vases into the shopping cart.

Aya drummed his fingers on the handle of the shopping cart. "Yoji, get the nice, cheap ones," he ordered firmly, "not the expensive ones."

"Aya…" Yoji propped up a cute, little vase in front of Aya's face. "Look! There's a cherry blossom on this one!!" The blond playboy pointed at the picture of the cherry blossom painted on the vase. "Doesn't it remind you of your girl Sakura?" He smiled widely.

Suddenly Yoji felt the vase smash across his cheek, and in surprise, his knees gave out and he hit the floor hard.

"Oops," Aya gulped as the broken pieces of the vase fell out of his outstretched hand.

"Young man, you'll have to pay for that!" yelled a nearby storekeeper. She went away, mumbling, "Kids these days…I can't understand them…"

"Yoji," Aya stated sternly, glaring menacingly at Yoji, "let's just pay for these dumb pots and get out of here." He walked away angrily, leaving Yoji alone with the shopping cart, his face beet red.

Yoji crossed his legs and folded his arms, looking confused. "What did I do? All I did was tease him a little…" He let out a light sigh. "He's too uptight…"

Ken finally came out of his room to help Omi with the shop just so the young blond would not get suspicious. Even so, Ken was still distant and aloof with Omi and Aoi. He was, fortunately, polite and friendly to the customers.

Aoi was still waiting for Yoji. She had grown bored of looking at the flowers and decided to talk to Momoe. They seemed to enjoy the other's company and Momoe's cat was especially fond of Aoi, for the cat had moved from the old woman's lap to the young woman's lap.

Omi came over to Aoi and scratched under the calico's chin. "She likes you," he told Aoi. "Do you have your own cat? You really seem to like Momoe-san's cat."

Aoi shook her head. "No, I don't have a cat," she answered. "To be honest, I'm not a big fan of pets. But they still make good company every once in a while."

Aya's silver car then pulled up into the garage. Aya and Yoji entered the Kitty in the House, and both of them carried a bag of the new flower vases they had brought. A broad grin formed on Yoji's lips when he saw Omi and Aoi together. "Yo Omi, are you trying to hit on Aoi?" he joked.

"No, I'm not," Omi answered, amused, but slightly embarrassed.

"Wouldn't blame ya," Yoji admitted, ruffling Omi's dirty-blond hair. "Aoi is everything a man would want in a woman."

Aoi blushed. "No, I'm really not…" she protested.

"Oh c'mon, don't be so modest," Yoji suggested to his girlfriend.

Ken lightly gripped Aya's elbow. "Aya, I need to talk to you," he informed the redhead. He led Aya into the basement so that they would not be overheard.

"What do you need to talk about?" Aya wondered.

Ken pulled the Weiß Kreuz out of his pocket and handed it to Aya. "You wouldn't know this, but for someone like me, it takes a lot of energy to use any of the Kreuze," the brown-haired florist started. "When I was in Heaven, Mayu told me that there are only three who can use the Kreuze effortlessly_--_ God, Satan, and…you."

Aya, speechless, took the Weiß Kreuz back from Ken. He found it hard to believe Ken's words. But yet, it had seemed a little too easy for him to get into Heaven…

"Hey Aya!" Yoji yelled down into the basement. "Sakura's here! Why don't you make her happy and talk to her?"

Aya shook his head to clear his foggy mind. He tied the Weiß Kreuz around his neck as he ascended the stairs to greet Sakura.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

God studied a vision of Aya going up the stairway from the basement of the Kitty in the House to the main section that was floating in front of Him. _His resemblance to Resurgere is uncanny,_ the Almighty observed. _Could he be Resurgere? I do not sense Resurgere's spirit within him, but his power may be sealed elsewhere. He can also use the Weiß Kreuz effortlessly…_

God made the vision disappear and stood up. He enclosed the Blau Kreuz that hung around His neck in His fingers. It had been a while since He last visited the Surface World. Maybe in a few days He could go back down there. But He disliked doing so. Even in His human form, humans could tell there was something different about Him.

He turned around and swung his arm in an arc. A faded image of Aya dressed in his assassin outfit with his katana unsheathed appeared in front of Him. There was something special about swordsman assassin, but it was not good. Satan would be after him, and the Devil would use any means necessary to get what He wanted.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Several hours passed. The Kitty in the House was still open, although Momoe and her cat had gone home as well as most of the girls. Sakura and Aoi were among those who stayed.

Oddly enough, Aya seemed as if he was enjoying Sakura's company. Yoji desperately wanted to make a stupid crack about that, but he was too preoccupied with holding a conversation with Aoi. Ken sat alone in a corner, reading a book, and Omi was starting to clean up.

"Is this shop open?" asked a cold voice. The voice belonged to a tall man who was standing outside the shop. He had long black hair with a bit of a raspberry shine to it tied back in a loose ponytail. His bangs were wild, hanging out in front of his forehead. His eyes were concealed behind dark sunglasses. His skin was only slightly tanned. His slim body wore a black suit with a black tie over a white undershirt. There was something not right about this man, but no one could figure out what.

"Read the sign," Aya said dryly, pointing at the sign that read, "Yes, we're open." Normally he would've been more polite to a potential customer, but this man had a creepy, unsettling presence about him.

"Then I guess this shop isn't very popular, since I don't see a whole lot of customers," the man noticed.

"If all you're going to do is throw around insults, get out," Ken ordered, looking up from the book he was reading.

"My apologies," the man apologized. "I didn't mean to offend you." A smirk began to form on his face, but it was replaced by surprise the second he noticed Sakura. Almost as if he did not realize what he was doing, he stepped up to the girl and gently touched the side of her face. "You're beautiful," he complimented. "What's your name?"

"T-Tomoe Sakura," Sakura introduced herself nervously. Her heart beat wildly. She did not mind being called beautiful by this man, but it was the man himself who made her feel uneasy. Slowly, she raised her hand and gently pushed the man's hand away.

"Tomoe Sakura," the man repeated softly. He didn't appear bothered by Sakura pushing his hand away. "Such a lovely name for a lovely woman."

"Are you going to buy anything?" Aya coldly asked the man, narrowing his pale violet eyes.

The man shook his head. "No, I was only looking," he corrected. He left the shop, but not before briefly cupping Sakura's chin in his hand.

Sakura raised one shaky hand up to touch the side of her face the man had touched. "W-Who was that guy?" she wanted to know, her voice filled with anxiety.

"I don't know," Aya confessed, seeing how uncomfortable Sakura was. "I'd stay away from him."

Aoi stood up. "I need to be leaving how," she announced. "Do you want me to escort you home, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiled weakly. "Okay," she accepted.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

The mysterious man from the flower shop stood on the roof a nearby building as he watched down on the Kitty in the House. "Fujimiya Ran," he said. "The _Kiseki no Hoshi._ You will be the end." He glanced up at the sunset-colored sky, a solemn expression on his face. "Now that you are back, I will finally be able to accomplish my goal. Maybe I never should've sent you, but the fact you are in the Surface World may help me."

The man vanished and instantly reappeared on another rooftop. "I'm so sick of this war. If it ends, maybe people will stop thinking of me as completely evil. I was born from imperfection, so I am imperfect." He spat on the roof and ran his fingers through his dark hair.

Thinking of his own imperfection made him remember that beautiful young girl from the flower shop. "Tomoe Sakura…" he breathed. "She's so beautiful. She seems close to Ran, but I wonder. How does Ran see her?" An evil grin came upon his lips as he vanished off the rooftop.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

It was just after sunset when Aoi and Sakura reached the street corner where they would have to go separate ways. However, Aoi was hesitant to let Sakura walk home by herself when it was dusk.

"I'll be all right, Aoi-san," Sakura tried to assure the blue-haired beauty. "My house is only at the end of this street."

"But Sakura-chan, what about that guy who was at the flower shop?" Aoi reminded. "What if he tries something on you? Yoji would never forgive me if I let something happen to you."

Sakura lightly touched Aoi's arm. "Don't worry," she requested of the older woman. "I'll walk fast, okay?" In truth, she was just as scared of that mysterious man as Aoi was. Still, Sakura felt she did not need Aoi's protection.

Aoi softly ruffled Sakura's brown hair. "All right, but if anything happens, I'm blaming you," she warned the girl.

"Okay," Sakura agreed. "See ya." She started walking down her street as Aoi waved back and went down her own street.

Sakura walked briskly to avoid being caught in the complete darkness of night. She wanted to get home while there was still the littlest bit of sunlight left. However, before she reached her house, she felt a strong hand grip her by the crook of her elbow.

"Sakura-san…" a male voice whispered into Sakura's ear. She recognized the voice. It belonged to the mysterious man who had called her beautiful earlier. The man turned her around and curled one arm against the back of her waist and the fingers of his other hand intertwined with the fingers of Sakura's left hand. She saw that he was no longer wearing his sunglasses, but she could not figure out his eye color just with the light provided by the streetlights.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked as calmly as she possibly could. Her heart was racing so fast, she could hear it beating against her chest. She wanted to break free of the man's grasp, but she was too paralyzed with fear to do so.

"I am Lucifer Flagrare," the man answered. "Do not forget that name." He pulled Sakura closer to him and held his face very close to hers. "You are very beautiful. Your eyes are so lovely, a man could get lost in them forever."

Sakura tried to yank her left hand free of Lucifer's, but he tightened his grip. "Please, don't," he requested in a quiet tone. "I won't hurt you. Let me ask you something. How do you think 'Aya-san' sees you?"

Sakura did not answer him. She wanted to tear her rose-colored eyes away from Lucifer's, but his eyes seemed to hold hers in place.

Lucifer removed his hand from Sakura's waist and kindly stroked her face. "He sees you as nothing more than a replacement for his sister," he explained. "Once she wakes up from her coma, he will return to her and forget about you."

"No…" Sakura protested, somehow finding the courage to speak. "You're lying!"

A small, wicked smile came across Lucifer's lips. "Am I?" he asked in a soft, heated voice. He moved his hand from Sakura's face to under her earlobe, against the nape of her neck. "I just don't want to see you hurt by him, physically or emotionally." He leaned in closer to her and she felt his hot breath on her lips. "'Cause I like you," he said in a hardly audible whisper.

Sakura wanted to turn her face away, to break free of this man's grasp, but she could not. _He's going to kiss me,_ she believed as his lips came closer to hers. It seemed as if their lips were going to touch, until-

"Get away from her!"

A bright, white light flashed on Sakura and Lucifer, forcing the both of them to shield their eyes. Aya was standing outside his car, but before he had gotten out, he had switched on the headlights in hopes of surprising Lucifer enough for him to back away from Sakura.

Aya ran up to Sakura, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her away from Lucifer. He glared at the mysterious man with the utmost disgust in his eyes. "Get out of here," he ordered in a low voice. "If I ever see you again, I'll kill you."

"You're very protective of Sakura-san, aren't you?" Lucifer noticed. His voice was cold and sharp, with a hint of sarcasm. "What a joke. You'll soon forget about her." With that, he whirled around and walked away.

"Sakura, are you all right?" Aya wondered of Sakura, who was trembling violently in his arms.

"I was so scared," Sakura confessed, her face a deadly pale white. "What did he…?"

"It's okay," Aya assured, interrupting the frightened girl. "I'll make sure he won't bother you again. Just for tonight, do you want to stay with me and the other guys at the flower shop? Just in case that guy comes back."

Sakura thought hard about her choice. She didn't think that Lucifer would show up again today, but she didn't want Aya to worry either. "Sure," she finally answered.

So she and Aya got into the silver car and drove towards the Kitty in the House. There, Sakura called her parents, saying she was staying over at a friend's. Yoji then explained to her that Aoi, still concerned for her safely and very untrusting of Lucifer, had called them to request that one of them make sure that she was all right. Afterwards, Omi loaned Sakura a pair of extra pajamas and told her she could sleep on the couch they had in the basement, which folded out to a bed. Once she was in bed and ready to fall asleep, Aya came down to see her.

"Hi Aya-san," Sakura greeted, a little embarrassed at Aya seeing her in slightly over-sized pajamas.

Aya sat down on the edge of the bed. "Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?"

Sakura smiled. "Yeah," she allowed. She laid her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes as Aya placed his hand on her forehead. Within minutes she was fast asleep.

_She looks so peaceful,_ Aya noticed. He felt strange. Even though he was fearful of hurting Sakura and refused to open his heart to others, he liked being with her. True, she reminded him a lot of his sister, but it was something more than that. He could not explain it very well. He bent over, without knowing what he was doing, about to lightly kiss her on the forehead goodnight, but as soon as he realized what he was doing, he halted himself.

Aya quickly backed away from the bed. He then went to his room, pulled out from under his bed a long piece of strong rope he used as a jump rope, and went out the back exit of the flower shop. He decided that jump roping would be the best way to get his mind off what was happening lately. It seemed random, but Aya was hardly thinking about what he wanted to do now.

"One…two…three…" the stoic assassin quietly counted how many times he jumped over the rope successfully. Soon he had gotten his mind almost concentrating completely on jump roping, but Ken's words came back to him like a flood of water, "…there are only three who can use the Kreuze effortlessly: God, Satan, and…you."

Aya's ankles got tied up in the rope and he tripped, falling on his stomach. He rolled over onto his back and looked up at the starless night sky.

_Why do I feel so insecure?_ he asked himself. _I've never felt this way. I've always known what to do. Is it because I don't know what to do now?_ He inhaled a small breath and began singing. He did not know why he began singing; nor did he care.

"I am never lost," Aya sang. "I've always known what to do. But now I am lost. I don't know where to go anymore.

"I feel so insecure, so lost. I feel so different. Tell me, what must I do now? I need to know, if I am to stay.

"I do not want to leave. But I cannot face my life now. I will leave if I must, and I will never return.

"I want to be comforted, I want to be loved. Maybe then I will find myself. But I do not deserve to be loved or comforted.

"Tell me, what must I do now? I do not want to leave, but I do not want to face my life alone anymore. I want someone to be by my side. I want to find myself.

"Will I find myself, will I know where to do, if there is someone there for me?

"I feel so insecure, so lost. I feel so different. Tell me, what must I do now? I need to know, if I am to stay."

The moon had come out from behind the dark clouds as Aya was singing. And unbeknownst to the redhead, Ken was standing outside, next to the door, listening to the song. He was saddened, for he wanted to comfort Aya, but he knew that since he himself was so unwilling to accept comfort, he had no right to give it.


	9. Narbe

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 8: Narbe  
"What happened, Resurgere?" asked a cold voice mockingly. "Where is your power?"

Aya looked up. Floating in front of him in the eternal darkness was Satan. The Devil had long, black hair with a bit of a raspberry shine to it tied back in a loose ponytail. Two little, black devil horns grew out of His head. His bangs were wild, hanging out in front of His forehead. His slightly tanned face was handsome, but pure evil. The blood-red eyes seemed to magnify the evilness. On both ears were two pairs of earrings. The first pair was a hoop with golden, thin bars hanging from it. The second pair was a dangling rod, much like the one earring Aya wore. Around Satan's neck hung a red cross necklace, the Rot Kreuz, and a flowing, crimson cloak. He was dressed in robes similar to God's. The top half was black with dark red edges. The sleeves were short, but still large. On His wrists, He had silver gauntlets with oval-shaped, black onyxes set in them. Growing out of His back were three pairs of large, purplish demon-wings. The bottom half of His robes resembled a dress with long slits on the both sides. Like with the top half, the bottom half was black and the edges dark red. Underneath He wore white, baggy pants and powerful, black boots that reached up to the knees.

"You're Satan, aren't you?" Aya dared to guess.

Satan smiled wickedly. "You remember me, that's nice of you," He commented.

Aya became angered. "I've never seen You before in my life."

"Ah, you are right about that," Satan agreed, raising His hand. "But now it is time for you to awaken!" Five thin strings shot out from the raised hand and curled around Aya's neck, wrists, and ankles.

As Satan closed the fingers of the hand that was raised, the strings binding Aya tightened. With much effort, the redhead assassin was able to get his hands up to his throat, but he was unable to grasp the string choking him.

"What's wrong?" Satan wondered, enjoying watching Aya struggle to breathe. "Why don't you fight back?"

Aya, blue-faced, opened his month to speak, but could not due to the fact the string around his neck was preventing him from drawing in any breathes. The string had begun to pierce painfully through the skin, for he could feel a few drops of blood ooze from the cut. The string then suddenly grew much tighter, causing his vision to black out completely.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya's pale violet eyes popped open. It was just a dream, but the pain had felt so real. He raised his hands up to his throat, which actually felt sore and raw. He glanced over at the clock. Still the middle of the night.

He threw the blankets off of him. He was soaked in sweat, but because he was clad only in boxer shorts, he would cool rather quickly. He stood up and headed over to the bathroom.

Once in the bathroom, he flicked on the lights and turned on the faucet. He cupped his hands under the running water and splashed the collected water on his face. He drew his head back and looked into the mirror, and was surprised by what he saw.

Around the exact middle of his neck was a faded, ring-like scar.

_This scar,_ he thought, tracing the scar with his index finger, _it's from that dream. Then that dream was real._ It was not the scar itself that concerned him, but it was what would happen when the others saw it.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"These are the two I want you to capture," Lucifer said, spreading out two photos on the table.

Sekai Kage picked up the two photos and studied them. Kage had pale gray eyes and short black hair whose bangs were neatly combed to one side. For a man at the age of twenty-seven, his face made him appear a little younger and exceptionally handsome. Even so, it was clear there was some unresolved anger behind his eyes. He was tall, but not as tall as Lucifer, and his build was muscular, although at the same time, rather slender. It was more like the perfect balance between muscular and slender. He was clothed in a similar outfit as Lucifer, but Kage did not have the jacket on and he had rolled up the sleeves of the white shirt he wore under the black tie.

The first photo was of a redhead male with pale, amethyst-colored eyes. The second photo was of a young girl, probably no older than fifteen, with brown hair and rose-colored eyes. "Why do you need the girl?" Kage asked Lucifer. "She is kinda cute, but I think it's a waste of my time to kidnap someone as young as her. That's not my usual line of business."

"It's just to keep the redhead under control," Lucifer answered. "Nothing more than that. Now, are you going to capture those two or not?"

Kage smirked and pocketed the two photos. "With how much you're paying me, how can I say no?"

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Yoji greeted Aya cheerfully, who had just woken up.

"It's only eleven o' clock," Aya retorted. "You've slept in longer."

"Yeah, whatever," Yoji replied, going back to reading the newspaper. "Oh, and if you're wondering, Sakura went out to jog a few minutes ago."

Omi noticed that Aya was wearing a large, belt-like choker around his neck. "Why are you wearing that choker?" the blond wondered of the redhead. "And doesn't it belong to Ken-kun?"

Aya ignored Omi and started fixing himself a simple breakfast. He then sat down at the table to eat the breakfast he had made himself.

"You're hiding the scar around your neck," Ken announced, his eyes being shadowed by his messy bangs. The rest of Weiß glanced at the brunette curiously.

"Ken, are you feeling all right?" Yoji asked.

"Well, why don't you show them your scar?" Ken dared, looking up. The irises of his eyes were now red instead of green.

Aya quickly stood up while knocking over his chair, and picked up the sharp knife that was on the table. The demon-possessed Ken smacked Aya across the face, causing the violet-eyed assassin to drop the knife.

Omi picked up the knife Aya had dropped and charged for Ken. The brunette seized Omi's wrist and sent his fist into the blond's stomach. Saliva flew out of Omi's mouth as he went down to his knees.

Ken stepped backwards and began collecting dark energy in his hands. Before he had a chance to use it, though, Yoji wrapped his arm around Ken's throat. He made the collected energy disappear and raised his hands to the arm crushing his windpipe. Yoji laid his hand on Ken's head and then snapped the younger man's neck. His limp body fell to the ground as a black mist escaped from it.

Omi went over to Ken and kneeled over to see if his neck was still broken. Thankfully, it wasn't. The blond stood up and looked at Aya. "Was what that demon said true?" he asked.

"Yes…" Aya answered grimly. He slowly removed the belt-like choker, revealing the ring-like scar around his neck.

"Holy cow, where did you get that?!" Yoji exclaimed.

Aya did not give the blond playboy a straight answer. "I'm not entirely sure," the amethyst-eyed assassin admitted. "I'm going over to Heaven to talk to God about this scar. I think He may know something."

"I'll come with you, just to make sure you don't do anything stupid, like accepting another mission without telling us," Yoji decided.

Aya was reluctant to allow Yoji to come with him. Finally he agreed to let Yoji come with him. He tied the choker around his neck and left the flower shop with Yoji.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Kodoku placed a cigarette in his mouth and with a snap of his fingers, lit the cigarette. He was resting on a high cliff that overlooked Pandemonium, the capital of Hell. It was a city of wickedness and sin. It was where the screams of tortured souls could always be heard. The city itself resembled a rundown castle, and within the walls were small buildings that were more like ruins than dwellings. Satan's dark palace stood in the middle of the accursed city. Kodoku avoided Pandemonium whenever he could.

He hated being in Hell, but he knew better than to say anything. Unlike most demons, his soul was owned by Satan. That meant Satan could force him to do anything.

Even betray his only friend.

The demon threw his cigarette down in frustration. He had no choice. If he didn't comply with Satan's wishes…well, he did not know what would happen, but he feared to think about it either.

In his few days in Hell, he had changed significantly. Along with improving his almost non-existent ability to follow orders, he had become more cruel and isolated. He made minimal contact with other demons in fear of appearing too weak. He wanted to become stronger, so that he was fit to lead a troop of demons in an attack against Heaven. It was a miracle he was able to do that so successfully yesterday, but just barely.

The lonely miracle sighed and laid his head back, looking up at the non-existent sky of Hell. He prayed that Yumeki would not hate him forever for what he was about to do in two days.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Hi Omi-san, Ken-san," Sakura greeted when she returned to the Kitty in the House.

"Hey Sakura-chan," Omi greeted back. Ken said nothing; he was still recovering from being possessed by a demon, but Sakura did not need to know that.

"What a cute shop we have here," commented a male voice outside the shop. "I hope we don't have to tear it up."

"Who's there?" Ken demanded to know.

Three men came into view. The man in the middle had short black hair and he appeared slightly taller than Ken. The man on his right was taller with a heavier build, as well as messy, light brown hair tied back in a short braid. The man on the far left had a shorter and stockier build, and short, pale blond, almost white, hair. All three wore dressed in similar black business suits.

"I am Sekai Kage," the man in the middle introduced himself. "The man on my right is Tsuyoku and the guy on the left is Yasha." He pulled a gun out of the hostler hidden under his jacket. "I need the girl and the redhead, but I don't see him. But I can always get him when he returns." He glanced straight at Sakura. "Girl, you're coming with me! I'm not waiting around for the other guy. Tsuyoku, make sure that when he comes back, you capture him!"

"What do you want with them?" Omi asked, pushing Sakura behind him.

"That's none of your business," Tsuyoku answered. He seized Omi's arm, twisted the blond around, and wrapped one strong arm against his throat. "You'll make a good hostage for the redhead."

"Sakura, get out of here!" Ken ordered Sakura. Before he could see if she followed his order, a powerful blow came across his face, knocking him out.

"That should keep you down for a few hours," Yasha guessed, rubbing the fist he had used to punch Ken.

Sakura tried to dash out of the Kitty in the House, but before she could get away, Kage seized her by her arm. The girl tried to break free of Kage's grip, but ceased when he pointed the gun at her head.

"You know, Lucifer-sama seems to be very interested in you," Kage told Sakura. "I don't know what he has planned, but I'm not one to question my employers. Yasha, we're leaving now!"

"Right," Yasha agreed. He, Kage, and Sakura went over to the black car that was parked outside the shop. Kage threw Sakura into the backseat and he got into the backseat as well while Yasha got into the driver's seat and started up the car.

"So what's your name, girl?" Kage wondered of Sakura. His voice sounded gentler when he voiced that question. "Or should I try to guess?"

Sakura remained silent. She had no interest in talking to her kidnapper.

"What me to guess, huh?" Kage figured. "Okay then, is your name Mirai? No, that's not it. Tenshi? Okay, I'll come up with more normal names. You don't have to look at me funny. Hime? No? Well then, how 'bout Hotaru? Not that either?" He took Sakura's chin into his hand and studied her face carefully. "Is your name Nadeshiko?" His voice sounded very hopeful when he guessed that name. His eyes also held a sad look.

"Nadeshiko?" Sakura repeated, allowing herself to make eye contact with Kage.

"No, you're not a Nadeshiko…" Kage mumbled. "Oh, I got it now! Your name's Sakura, isn't it?"

"Um, yeah," Sakura confirmed, averting her eyes again.

Kage too smiled and laid his hand on Sakura's brown hair. "Your hair's very soft," he complimented. "You should grow it out."

"Kage-san, stop flirting with the girl," Yasha requested from the driver's seat. "She's too young for you."

"Hey, I'm not flirting!" Kage corrected defensively. "I'm just making a suggestion." To Sakura he said, "If you grow out that pretty hair of yours, your crush may notice you. That is, if you have a crush."

"My crush…" Sakura muttered, raising her hand to touch a strand of hair. Maybe she should take Kage's suggestion seriously and grow her hair out.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"So this is Heaven?" Yoji commented as he and Aya appeared in Heaven. "Not very impressive, is it?"

"That is because you cannot see the true Heaven," explained a deep voice behind the two florists. "Only angels can see the true Heaven, as only demons can see the true Hell. Now, why have you two come here?"

Aya turned around to face God. He removed his choker to reveal his new scar. "I wanted to ask You about this scar," the redhead informed the Almighty.

Yoji interrupted Aya. "So You're God?" he said to God.

God chuckled. "Yes, I am God," He confirmed. "But please, allow Aya to continue."

"The demon possessing Ken knew about the scar, even though I was wearing this choker," Aya continued. "Tell me, do You know anything, anything at all, about this scar?"

God reached out and gently traced Aya's scar. Aya flinched, but only a little.

"Allow me to study the Weiß Kreuz," God requested. Aya was puzzled by this request, but he took off the cross necklace and handed it to God. God removed His cross necklace, the Blau Kreuz, and held it close to the Weiß Kreuz. The Blau Kreuz began glowing, as did the Weiß Kreuz, but the white cross suddenly ceased glowing, as if it rejected the Blau Kreuz. "Something is wrong with the Weiß Kreuz," the Almighty mumbled, but neither Aya nor Yoji heard Him. He handed the Weiß Kreuz back to Aya.

"I cannot tell you much right now," God admitted, "but I fear Satan may have affected you as well as the Weiß Kreuz."

"So we're done here?" Yoji guessed.

Aya nodded. "Let's return to the flower shop," he suggested. "God has told me all that He will right now." He and Yoji turned to face the large blue cross that led to Subete and then returned to Subete as the Weiß Kreuz and the blue cross shone brightly.

"I can no longer keep you hidden, Resurgere," God said softly. "Satan has already found you."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"God seemed pretty cool, although a little strange," Yoji said to Aya as they were driving back to the Kitty in the House.

"You're too carefree," Aya pointed out as he pulled his car up into the garage of the flower shop. When they stepped out of the car and the garage, they saw that a large man had his arm around Omi's throat and a gun up to the blond's head.

"Aya-kun, Yoji-kun, stay back!" Omi warned in a choked voice.

"Be quiet," Tsuyoku ordered, tightening his grip on Omi's throat. "You, redhead. Come with me or I'll blow your little friend's brains out."

"Where's Ken and Sakura?!" Yoji demanded to know.

"The guy's knocked out and we already have the girl," Tsuyoku answered. "Well, redhead? Do you want your friend to die?"

"Aya-kun, don't go with him!" Omi screamed. "He'll kill you!"

"I'll come," Aya decided, not heeding Omi's warning.

"Hey, don't get killed, all right?" Yoji whispered. For some strange reason, he patted the back of Aya's head, and the redhead didn't even flinch.

Tsuyoku grinned wickedly and pushed Omi away from him. He stepped up to Aya and handcuffed the redhead's hands behind his back. "Just a precaution," Tsuyoku explained as he took Aya's car keys from his pocket. He pulled Aya over to the silver car and threw Aya into the back seat. Tsuyoku got into the driver's seat, started up the car, and drove out of the garage.

"Yoji-kun, why did Aya-kun go with him?" Omi asked in a worried voice.

Yoji held up a tracking device. "I put a tracer behind his ear, so no need to worry. Now go wake Ken. We've got an assassin and his girl to save!"


	10. Der Teufel

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 9: Der Teufel  
Aya was strapped to the operating table by his wrists, waist, and ankles, with his arms outstretched. He was stripped shirtless, but surprisingly, he had not been deprived of the Weiß Kreuz or of the choker around his neck. Standing next to the operating table was an old, insane-looking doctor who had introduced himself as Dr. Korosu. The doctor was dressed in a pale blue operating gown. He had silver-white short hair, and he was a full head shorter than Lucifer.

Sakura was tied down on another operating table next to Aya's, but unlike him, she was still fully clothed and she appeared much more scared and nervous than he did. Sitting on the edge of her table, Lucifer looked quite pleased that both his targets had been captured successfully. At the moment, he did not seem interested in Sakura at all; only Aya.

The room the four of them were in was a bit cold and dark, although not so dark where Aya couldn't see a thing. It was just very dim. It also seemed to be an abandoned operating room, and quite unclean. That made Aya slightly nervous, but he tried to not let it show.

"You look like a very healthy one, no?" Dr. Korosu commented about Aya.

"I take it you like him then?" Lucifer assumed.

"Of course, Flagrare-san," the doctor confirmed. "He'll make a very good test subject."

If Lucifer had not been wearing sunglasses, Aya would have been sure he had narrowed his eyes. "He is not here for you to experiment on," he corrected. "He is here to be subjected to extreme pain."

"What about the girl?" Dr. Korosu asked.

"To keep our subject under control," Lucifer answered, brushing Sakura's bangs from her forehead. He slowly ran his fingers down the side of her face and across her lips as a lustful grin came upon his face. He then stood up and walked over to Aya's operating table. He removed his sunglasses, revealing blood-red irises. "So Ran, do you think you can survive the pain?"

Aya gritted his teeth. Lucifer knew who he really was, but the redhead had a good idea of who this mysterious man actually was as well.

"Begin," Lucifer told Dr. Korosu, backing away from the operating table.

"With pleasure," Dr. Korosu said gleefully. He pointed his scalpel close to the base of Aya's neck, between the breasts, and slashed down with one quick motion. Aya fought to suppress his scream.

"Aya-san!" Sakura exclaimed, her voice filled with worry. From where she was, she couldn't see Aya very well, but she could see what Dr. Korosu was doing to him.

"Not bad," Dr. Korosu said, enjoying watching blood gush from Aya's new wound. He reached out with his free hand and tore the choker from Aya's neck. Sakura's eyes widened at the sight of the ugly scar. Aya, not caring about how dignified his next action appeared, bit the doctor's hand. In surprise, Dr. Korosu withdrew his hand.

"Don't touch me like that again," Aya commanded in a low, harsh voice.

"Boy, you are in no position to tell me what to do," Dr. Korosu reminded. "Now, how about I make that scar of yours bleed once again?"

"Don't kill him," Lucifer ordered.

"Oh, all right," Dr. Korosu agreed, disappointed. He pressed the side of the scalpel against Aya's cheek and slowly rotated the blade, cutting the skin rather painfully. Aya still managed not to scream, despite the pain of the new puncture wound. Blood began to run down the side of his face.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Oh, you welcome pain?" Kage, from his hiding place on the catwalk that overlooked the operating room, heard Dr. Korosu say to Aya.

Kage spat on the floor as he peered slightly past the pillar to see what was going on below. _What is Lucifer-sama thinking?_ he wondered. _If he was going to strap the redhead down on that table, why would Sakura be needed to keep him under control?_ He let out a light sigh. He hated not knowing what his employers were thinking. Kidnapping young girls was not his usual line of work. It did not seem that Lucifer was planning to hurt Sakura in any way, but Kage was still worried. His employer was not the type of guy to waste anyone's time, so Sakura was here for a reason. But what was the reason?

Kage barely even trusted Lucifer. After all, he hardly knew a thing about Lucifer. In fact, he did not even think "Lucifer" was his boss's real name. From what he knew of Christian mythology, Lucifer was the name of an archangel who rebelled against God and as punishment, he was sentenced to ruling over the damned for eternity. What parents would name their child that?

A shrill scream from Aya brought Kage back to reality. He narrowed his pale gray eyes. He did not care about Aya, but he really believed that it was wrong for Sakura to have to see the redhead be tortured so. Despite how much Lucifer paid him, he was starting to think that kidnapping Sakura was a mistake.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Please, stop hurting him!" Sakura begged of Dr. Korosu, trying to hold back her tears.

"Be quiet," Dr. Korosu ordered.

"No, she's right," Lucifer quickly added. "Stop hurting him for now." He glanced at Aya, a cruel smirk on his face.

Aya's breathing was heavy. The pain was almost too much for him. The insane doctor had just created a cut on his face that stretched from his right ear to the corner of his mouth. The sweat that ran down his face fell into the open cut, making the pain worse. Also, a long cut ran down the entire underside of his left arm. He knew that Dr. Korosu could've very easily have killed him then.

Lucifer stepped over to Sakura's table and undid her bindings. He stood her up and pushed her towards Aya's table. "Go make him feel better," he said. "He'll need some comforting before the next round of torture."

Sakura was puzzled by this request, but she decided to obey anyway. She wanted to make Aya feel better so badly. She could not stand seeing him in such pain. She went up to the operating table he was tied down on, unsure of what to do. Instinctively, she reached for one of the bindings on Aya's wrist, but Lucifer quickly seized her hand before she could undo it.

"Don't try to free him," Lucifer warned, laying his other hand on Sakura's shoulder. "You do not need to. All you have to do is touch him gently. I am sure that the feel of your exquisite hands is enough to comfort him."

"Let her go," Aya commanded, fury in his pale eyes. "Do you remember me saying that if I ever saw you again, I would kill you?"

Lucifer, angry, lightly pushed Sakura away from him and roughly grabbed Aya's throat and pressed down to cut off his air. "I'd like to see you try to kill me right now," Lucifer said. "Do you really want to shed blood in front of Sakura-san?"

The Weiß Kreuz around Aya's neck glowed. He broke his left wrist free of the binding, used the freed arm to remove the other wrist binding, and pushed Lucifer away from him. He then broke free of the ankle restraints and stood up. His wounds all emitted a pale white light before vanishing. He fell to his knees, exhausted.

"Aya-san!" Sakura said, kneeling down next to Aya. She wrapped one arm around his waist and used her other arm to support his head. He felt very weak and frail in her arms.

Lucifer came up to Aya and Sakura and pulled a gun out from his jacket. "Your body is too weak," he informed Aya, pointing his gun at the weak assassin's head. "I should toughen it." He started to pull back the trigger of the gun, but suddenly a dart came out of nowhere and stuck his hand, causing him to drop the gun. "Who's there?" he demanded to know, looking up in the direction the dart had come from.

"The hunters of the night," came a childlike voice.

"The only light in this corrupt world of vice," added a rougher voice.

"The knight hunters," said a smoother voice.

"Weiß!" yelled all three simultaneously. Omi, Ken, and Yoji, all dressed in their assassin outfits, stood in the large window near the ceiling.

_Weiß?_ Kage repeated to himself. _I've heard that name before…_

"Here Aya!" Yoji yelled, tossing Aya his katana, which landed next to him. Aya wanted to pick up his katana and kill Lucifer, but he was still too exhausted.

"Stay out of this!" Lucifer ordered, picking up his gun. Before he could aim it, Yoji shot a wire around his neck. His hands instinctively went up to his throat.

Ken jumped down from the window and pulled a washcloth drenched in chloroform from his coat pocket and placed it over Sakura's mouth and nose. She immediately fell unconscious. "Omi, go for that mad doctor!" he told Omi.

"Right," Omi acknowledged. He jumped in front of Dr. Korosu, who was fleeing for the exit, and threw three darts at the doctor. Dr. Korosu dodged the darts and started running in the opposite direction. Omi quickly tackled him and stabbed a dart into his chest, instantly killing him.

Yoji was still trying to strangle Lucifer. He pulled harder on the wire, and in doing so he pulled Lucifer a few steps forward. He then noticed Kage standing on the catwalk, although Kage was unaware of that. Seeing that Yoji was distracted, Lucifer yanked on the wire, pulling Yoji down from the window and getting the wire away his throat.

"Pretty smart, I'll give you credit for that," Lucifer commented, rubbing his sore throat. He raised his hand, and Sakura's unconscious body levitated up into the air and over to him.

_What the?_ Kage exclaimed. _Who is this guy?_ He decided to find out and so, ran over to the stairs that led down from the catwalk.

Aya, his strength somewhat returned to him, unsheathed his katana and charged for Lucifer but then hesitated. Lucifer noticed this and held Sakura's body up in front of him. Even so, it was clear that he had no intention of using her as a shield.

"Why are you hesitating?" Lucifer asked mockingly. "You promised to kill me if you ever saw me again. Or do you not want Sakura-san to know you're a murderer? It really wouldn't make a difference if you killed me now. She is unconscious, after all. That is why you knocked her out, I presume?"

Aya gritted his teeth and gripped the hilt of his katana tighter. He desired to kill Lucifer, but not while Sakura was being held. He did not want to get blood on her.

While Aya was pondering his dilemma, Kage was able to sneak up behind him and point a knife very close to his throat. "Move, and I slit your throat," Kage warned Aya. To Lucifer, he said, "Get your hands off Sakura. I know you don't want this guy dead, so do as I say and I'll let him live."

To Kage's surprise, Lucifer just laughed cruelly. "You fool," he insulted. "It's true I don't want Ran dead, but really, taking him hostage? How dumb can you get? Do you believe that an assassin would not fight back?"

"What are-" Kage was cut off when Aya sent his elbow into his stomach. Aya pried the knife from his hand and jabbed the hilt into his head to knock him out. The redhead then threw the knife at Lucifer. Lucifer threw Sakura away from him and caught the knife, but that was what Aya wanted. He picked the unconscious girl up in his free arm before she hit the floor and took a few steps backward to rejoin the rest of Weiß.

"Well, I guess it's time you found out who I really am," Lucifer decided. He raised his arm and was engulfed in a cocoon of fire. The fire erupted upward and soon died down, revealing a familiar looking evil being dressed in a demonic outfit clutching a vermilion pitchfork.

"Satan!" Aya said, holding up his katana.

"So that's what He looks like from the front," Ken mumbled, unsheathing the blades of his bugnuks.

"You want to fight me?" Satan guessed. "That would be foolish. I am the Devil, der Teufel, el diablo, whatever language you prefer."

Sakura stirred in Aya's arms as she slowly regained consciousness. "Aya-san…" she moaned, wrapping her arms around Aya's bare shoulders, hardly aware of what she was doing.

Aya slid his katana back into its scabbard, which he had hooked onto his belt, and laid his hand on Sakura's head to prevent her from turning her head. "Don't look," he requested in a quiet voice.

"Aya-kun, we're leaving now!" Omi called out to Aya. The young blond was already halfway out the exit, along with Ken and Yoji.

Aya nodded and dashed out the exit with the rest of Weiß. Satan did not try to stop them. "Okay, so they're not as stupid as I thought," He muttered. He looked over at Kage, who was still unconscious. "Sekai, you are in so much trouble. I should just kill you, but I might have further need of you…"


	11. Geheimnise und Lügen

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 10: Geheimnise und Lügen  
Sakura studied her reflection in the mirror as she slowly raised her hand to feel her hair. It was night, but she could not sleep. The memory of the talk she and Aya had after they were rescued from Lucifer earlier lingered too vividly in her mind.

_"Sakura, I want you to stay away from me from now on," Aya told Sakura. He was facing her, but his eyes were turned away._

_"But why?" Sakura wondered._

_Aya let out a heavy sigh. "It'll be better that way." He paused and made eye contact with Sakura. "That Lucifer guy only kidnapped you because of me. What if he decides to hurt you or even kill you the next time?"_

_Sakura was becoming impatient. "Aya-san, who are you really?" she asked. "Lucifer called you Ran. I know you as Aya, but that's also the name of that girl who's in the coma. She's your sister, isn't she?_

_There was a long pause. "Yes, she's my little sister," Aya finally confirmed. His voice was cold, as if he didn't want the girl to push the subject any further._

_Sakura, however, did push the subject further. "I look like her, don't I?" she pressed on. "Is that the only reason you trusted me with that safety deposit key? Because you see me as a replacement for her? Lucifer told me that once she woke up from her coma, you'd forget about me. That's not true, is it? Please tell me it isn't!"_

_A slap came across Sakura's face, almost knocking her down. She raised one hand to touch the cheek Aya had slapped. "Aya-san…" she said in a quiet voice, taking a few steps backwards out of fright._

_Aya was just as startled as Sakura was about his sudden slap. His breathing was heavy, but he was able to recollect himself. "Listen, I never had any feelings for you," he explained. "The reason I trusted you with the safety deposit key was because you trusted me. It was nothing more than that. Do you understand?" He turned his face away, and there were hints of sorrow in his pale eyes._

_"Yes," Sakura acknowledged meekly, not looking at Aya._

_Aya stepped a little closer to Sakura and made a motion as if to grip her shoulder, but then thought better of it. "Please, stay away from me, for your own sake," he requested. And with that, he walked away._

_Sakura fell down to her knees and the tears she fought so hard to hold back escaped from her pink eyes. She tried to wipe away her tears, but they just would not stop coming._

Once the memory had played itself out in her mind, Sakura touched the cheek Aya had slapped. Although he probably did not mean to have hit her so hard, his slap left a small bruise that was hardly noticeable. But it was there, and it did nothing but remind her of Aya's hurtful words. _Aya-san, you jerk,_ she thought. _I really liked you. You didn't have to be so insensitive._

She reached out and touched the mirror. She did look a lot like Aya's sister, minus hair color and length. Maybe if she grew her hair out longer, Aya would notice her. It was a funny coincidence that Kage had made a similar suggestion to her.

Thinking about all that made her sad. The tears suddenly came, and she was unable to hold them back. She let them come, in hopes of them relieving her of the sadness.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

_The next day._

Yumeki paced back and forth impatiently in Subete. It had been three days, and he was waiting for Kodoku. It was just like Kodoku to completely forget a meeting time. Finally the angel decided to just summon the demon to Subete.

He stepped up to the red cross that led to Hell. "Demon Kiseki Kodoku, I, the angel Mayu Yumeki, command you to come to Subete!" he chanted. He held his glowing hands out and the red cross shone a bright blood-red.

As Yumeki's hands and the cross ceased glowing, Kodoku abruptly appeared in Subete, looking like he had just woken up. "What do you want?" he snapped. "Even demons need their sleep."

"We promised to meet in three days to discuss the Krieg von Tränen, remember?" Yumeki yelled in Kodoku's ear.

It took a few seconds for those words to sink into Kodoku's brain. "Oh yeah," he remembered. "Actually, I lied about that. I really didn't want to discuss the Krieg von Tränen. In fact, I can't. This is all being done under Satan's orders."

"What are you talking about?" the powerful angel demanded to know.

Kodoku sighed and hesitated. "You see, I'm…" He trailed off and reached behind Yumeki's left ear, detaching a small, clear tack. "I'm under orders to steal the power of God's most powerful angel, which is you."

The second the demon removed the gold tack, Yumeki suddenly felt much weaker. Along with the tack, Kodoku had taken most of his power. "You betrayed me…" Yumeki said through gritted teeth. "If you weren't dead, I would tell you to go to Hell!"

"I'm sorry," Kodoku apologized. "But I can't disobey Satan. He owns my soul, and therefore He can force me to do anything. I don't except you to forgive me; just understand."

"Lonely miracle…" Yumeki insulted as he kneeled down to conserve what was left of his energy.

Kodoku turned away from Yumeki. "You gave me that nickname," he reminded. "It's always suited me. Look, at least I didn't steal all your power. You won't be going to Limbo. Well, I really am sorry. Good-bye." He teleported back to Hell, leaving the angel alone in Subete.

"Lonely miracle…" Yumeki hissed again as he fell unconscious.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

_"Kiseki no Hoshi. Star of Miracles. It's a fitting name for you."_

_"Please stop. I don't deserve the name."_

_"Don't be so modest. I've seen what you can do. You are more powerful than God Himself!"_

_"You really think so?"_

_"Of course! You are the key to putting an end to the Krieg von Tränen."_

_"I'm not too sure of that. This war had gone on for so long I don't believe it can be stopped."_

_"I know it sounds impossible, but I really believe you can put an end to this war!"_

_"…maybe."_

"Hey Aya, are you okay?" Ken asked Aya.

Aya snapped back into reality. "Huh?" he sounded.

Ken repeated his question. Aya answered that he was okay.

Aya, Ken, and Omi were redecorating the Kitty in the House because it was in dire need of some repair work. Yoji, however, was off somewhere else with Aoi. Needless to say, the rest of Weiß was not too pleased with that.

Not that it really mattered, though. A while ago, as they were working, Ken and Aya had grown too hot, so they had taken off their shirts to cool down and prevent heat stroke (Aya still wore the choker to hide his scar, though). Soon afterwards, girls began asking if they could help. Now the three florists had enough help to where they only had to do the heavy labor.

Aya wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm. He picked up another nail and pounded it into the lower right corner of the sign above the entrance. Once he was done with that, he placed the hammer in his mouth and climbed down the ladder. "What do you two know about Christianity?" he asked Ken and Omi as soon as his feet were on the ground.

"Um, it's the religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Holy Bible," Omi explained. "Why'd you ask?"

"Just wondering," Aya answered.

Ken threw down the broom he was holding in anger. "What is with you?" he asked, expecting an answer from Aya. "You know more than you're telling us, like about your scar or how you can use the Weiß Kreuz effortlessly. Why won't you trust us?"

Aya shoved the brunette away from him. "You think this makes any more sense to me?" the redhead assumed. "I don't know entirely how I got this scar or how I can use the Weiß Kreuz effortlessly." Neither him nor Ken seemed to care that there was the possibility of the eager fangirls overhearing their conversation.

Ken glared at Aya with complete rage. "You really think I'm going to put up with all this crap?" he replied harshly.

Aya punched Ken across the face. "Shut up and just leave me alone!" the pale-eyed assassin ordered.

Omi stepped in between Aya and Ken and gently pushed them apart. "Okay, calm down," he requested. "The heat is making you two edgy. I'll go get some cold drinks."

"Okay," Aya and Ken complied.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Here's your drink," Yoji said to Aoi, handing her a cold Coke. They were at a small café, sitting in a corner far from everyone else. They both wanted to tell the other something, but was uncertain of how to start. Also, Aoi appeared much sadder than she usually seemed.

Yoji sat down across from Aoi. "Aoi, I have something to tell you," he finally admitted.

"What is it?" Aoi asked.

The blond florist inhaled a small breath. "I don't deserve you," he began, his voice shaky. "I'm a former assassin. But I wasn't an evil assassin! My targets were all evil people who had no souls! But if you think about it, there's no such thing as a 'good assassin'…" His hands twisted wildly around his glass as they because sweaty.

Aoi turned her face away from Yoji's. "I don't deserve you either," she confessed.

Yoji glanced at Aoi, puzzled. "What are you saying?" he asked. "It's the other way around. _You're_ the one who's much too good for _me._"

"I've been lying to you this entire time." Aoi quickly stood up, almost knocking over her chair. "I'm sorry, Yoji."

"Wait, you're not breaking up with me, are you?" Yoji guessed, worried.

"I don't know," Aoi replied. "It's just that I'm not who you think I am!" Before Yoji could stop her, she dashed out of the café.

Tears crawled down Aoi's cheeks as she ran down the street. _Why can't I bring myself to tell him anything?_ she asked herself repeatedly.

Finally, she was able to bring herself to a halt. She remembered that she had been warned not to grow too close to Yoji or any of his friends so that she would not have to lie to them. After all, liars burned in the hottest parts of Hell. Maybe she should just go back before her lies got completely out of control and wound up hurting Yoji even more.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

God looked up at the clear blue sky of Heaven. Even the Almighty needed comfort every now and then. He noticed that he was alone a lot lately. But He never felt lonely. After all, He had his angels and He had created the universe so that He would not feel lonely.

No one knew true loneliness. True loneliness was how God was before the universe was created. He was all alone in His eternal existence, having no beginning and no end. Sometimes it hurt to think about how lonely and isolated He used to be. To think that it had just been a few eons that ago He was so alone.

And to think that there was a chance of going through all that loneliness again, if Resurgere truly had been reborn.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Hey, the Kitty in the House looks better than ever now!" Yoji commented as he pulled his car up next to the flower shop. "Momoe-san will love it!" He seemed unusually cheerful, but in reality, he did not want the rest of Weiß to know he was having problems with his girlfriend.

"Where were you all day?" Omi asked Yoji, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Hey I told you, I was out with Aoi!" Yoji answered nervously.

"Aoi…" Aya suddenly said in an unnaturally stoic tone, even for him.

"Aya, are you feeling all right?" Ken wondered.

"I remember…it was her fault I was sent," Aya continued on emotionlessly. The Weiß Kreuz around his neck began emitting a soft glow and beautiful, magnificent angel wings appeared on his bare back. The wind then, as if on cue, came and lifted him up into the air.

"Aya-kun!!" Omi yelled, as he was the only one who wasn't too dumbstruck to speak. He and the other two florists tried to chase after Aya, but the redhead was soon out of sight.

Aya glided through the sky until he reached the torii that was the gateway to Subete. There he landed gracefully on his feet and stepped through the torii, thus being teleported to Subete.

"I cannot turn back now," Aya told himself. He sounded like he was in a trance, as if he did not know what he was saying or doing. He went up to the tall red cross, which glowed strongly, and Aya was warped to Hell. The first thing he saw was Satan. He saw nothing else, nor thought about anything else.

"Welcome to Hell, Resurgere," the Devil greeted.


	12. Verweigerung

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 11: Verweigerung  
Ken rolled over in his bed. He wanted to fall asleep, but he couldn't. He figured he was worried about Aya, but he was also unable to do anything. He, Yoji, and Omi had tried getting into Subete, where they believed the red-haired assassin had gone, but they did not succeed. Omi and Yoji wanted to keep on trying, but Ken had said, "Look, Aya can take care of himself. I'm sure he'll come back okay." Now he disbelieved that himself. He even half-believed Aya was in Hell.

The brunette returned to lying on his back and stared up at the ceiling. _I should've trusted Aya more,_ he thought. _I mean, this has been the hardest on him._ He rolled onto his right side. _Even more than me…_ He closed his eyes and drifted into a deep, uneasy sleep.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aoi wrapped her arms loosely around Yoji's neck from behind. "Hey, I'm the only woman in your life, right?" she asked playfully.

Yoji pulled Aoi in front of him and curled his arms securely around her waist. "Of course," he confirmed. "You're just like an angel to me."

A small smile formed on the blue-haired woman's face. "You're right," she said.

A puzzled expression appeared on Yoji's face. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't stay with you," Aoi admitted as white angel wings appeared on her back. She pushed herself away from Yoji and faded into the creeping darkness that was engulfing everything.

"Aoi…" the tall blond whispered softly. Two hands then shot out from the darkness and closed around Yoji's neck and squeezed tightly.

"Wake up, Yoji-kun!" ordered a childlike voice.

"What the?" Yoji exclaimed in a strangled voice.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Omi vigorously shook Yoji in an attempt to wake him. "Wake up, Yoji-kun!" the younger blond ordered.

Yoji, still asleep, threw his arms around the back of Omi's waist, close to his rear, and pulled him closer down. Their faces were dangerously close to one another's and their chests were right up against each other.

"Hey Omi, have you gotten Yoji awake yet?" Ken asked as he poked his head into Yoji's room. He then blushed when he saw Omi on top of Yoji. "Uh…you should close the door if you want privacy," Ken suggested as he stepped back and closed the door.

"Wait Ken-kun!" Omi pleaded, his face very red. "This isn't what it looks like!"

Yoji yawned and opened his jade green eyes, seeing that Omi's face was just way too close to his for comfort. His face flushed scarlet. "Um, why are you on top of me?" he asked as calmly as he possibly could. "You're not trying to, well…" He trailed off nervously.

Omi threw himself off Yoji. "I was on top of you because I was trying to wake you and you were the one who threw your arms around me and pulled me closer!" he corrected defensively. "And because of that, Ken-kun thinks I'm gay!"

"Sorry," Yoji apologized, sitting up. "I was just having a bad dream. I'll go explain things to Ken."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Yumeki opened his dark brown eyes. He stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling for almost a minute before he realized that he did not know where he was. He kicked the thin blanket that was covering him off and sat up. He had been sleeping on a white couch (and an uncomfortable couch at that, for his back felt really sore).

He stood up and looked around. It was now he noticed that he was in his human form. He felt quite stupid for not noticing that earlier. That thought only lasted a second when he thought about where he was. Nothing in this room, which was probably a living room, looked even vaguely familiar. For one wild moment he assumed he was alive and that being dead and God's most powerful angel was all just a dream. Then he saw a framed picture on the small table next to the couch. He went up to the table and picked up the picture. It was of a pretty blue-haired woman and a tall blond man. Yumeki did not recognize the man, but he recognized the woman.

Itami Aoi.

If he remembered Aoi, then that meant he was still dead. He had met Aoi when he first came to Heaven. Yumeki ran his fingers through his black hair, wondering just what was going on. He recalled Kodoku lying to him and then stealing his power, but his memory was fuzzy after that.

Suddenly, the phone started to ring. Yumeki wondered if he should answer it. It wasn't as if he had been dead long; only twenty years. What if the person on the other line recongized his voice?

He decided to take his chances. He picked up the phone and said into the receiver, "Hello, this is Mayu Yumeki. Who is this?" He immediately regretted the stupidity of using his own name over Aoi's.

"This is Kudou Yoji," the person on the other line answered. "Where's Aoi?"

"I think Aoi's still asleep," Yumeki guessed. He really did not like the tone of voice Yoji was using. "Do you want me to take a message?"

There was a long pause. "Sure," Yoji finally chose. "Just tell her that her boyfriend called." He said that in such a way that he sounded as if he was telling Yumeki to stay away from Aoi.

_Boyfriend?_ the angel repeated. "Okay," he responded. "'Bye." He hung up the phone.

"Oh, you're awake now," Aoi noticed, just coming down the stairs. "Who was that on the phone?"

Yumeki gave Aoi the coldest glare possible. "That was your boyfriend, Kudou or whatever his name was," he informed her. "He seems like a nice guy, doesn't he?" He was being very cruel.

Aoi gasped as her hand went up to her face. "Yoji?" she repeated. "What did you tell him?"

"Only that you were still asleep," Yumeki answered. "Nothing that you wouldn't tell him yourself. You know, you are disobeying orders."

"I know that!" Aoi replied defensively. "It's just that-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Yumeki interrupted. "I thought God made it clear when he said not to do anything that would result in you falling in love with Kudou or any of his friends. I mean, it is possible to be close to someone without being in love with them!"

Aoi was hurt by Yumeki's words. She dashed down the stairs and slapped him hard across the face. Yumeki then raised his hand to touch the bruise on his face. That was so unlike Aoi. She had always seemed like the passive type to him, not the type to unexpectedly slap others.

"Yes, I sincerely love Yoji," Aoi admitted, rage in her sky blue eyes. "I know it's wrong, but I don't care if I'm an angel and he's a human. I will find a way for us to be together, even if it involves defying God!"

Yumeki, seeing how hurt and confused Aoi was, embraced her in his muscular arms and pulled her up against his chest. She was so surprised at this action that she did nothing to resist.

"Aoi…" Yumeki said softly, pressing Aoi's long, soft hair against the nape of her neck. "You know the only way for you and Kudou to be together is if he dies and gets accepted into Heaven. But you can't wish for his death, can you?"

"No…" Aoi said, her voice nothing more than a whisper. She sounded like she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry for being cruel earlier," Yumeki apologized. "It's just that a lot has happened to me lately, and you should know that. After all, you did find me unconscious in Subete." He paused for a few uneasy seconds and then tilted Aoi's chin upward and then, in such a quick motion Aoi had no time to react, Yumeki placed his lips over hers to kiss her. He knew she would probably push him away and get mad, but he really did not care. He loved her, and did not like to see her so sad. But in reality, he also knew that kissing her at this moment would do the exact opposite of comforting her. He was being selfish, but somehow, he figured that Aoi would understand.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Yoji hung up the phone after reciting his message to whoever Mayu Yumeki was. He then let out a heavy sigh. He would not have been surprised if Aoi was purposely avoiding him.

"Not going too well with Aoi-chan, is it?" Ken asked.

The older blond shook his head in despair. "She better not have ditched me for that Mayu Yumeki guy," he mumbled, not intending for either Omi or Ken to hear him.

"What did you say?" Ken demanded to know, hastily turning around to face Yoji.

"Nothing important," Yoji added quickly. "Hey, why don't we go look for Aya now?"

"Don't change the subject," the brown-haired florist ordered. "You mentioned a guy named Mayu Yumeki. How would you know him? He's some angel I met when I went to Heaven."

"You're kidding!" Yoji exclaimed. "If that's true, then why would he be at Aoi's house?"

Ken shrugged his shoulders. "The only thing I can come up is that Aoi-chan is an angel. But if that's true, then why would she and Mayu be here?" His right hand went up to caress the shallow cuts on his left arm. He lowered his voice to almost a whisper, "Why would they even want to come back to the Surface World?"

Yoji fell to his knees, devastated. "Aoi, an angel?" he repeated. "Is that what she was trying to tell me yesterday?" He clenched his fists tighter, trying to resist the urge to scream out. "I don't care if she's an angel! I still love her. I'll find a way to be with her."

"But Yoji-kun, I don't think that's possible," Omi, who had been quiet this whole time, reluctantly pointed out. "You two live in different worlds. And aren't angels immortal?"

Yoji reminded silent. He could think of nothing to say to what the younger blond had told him.

"Where is Aya?" asked a man who just seemed to appear outside the flower shop. He had long purple hair, almost black, that fell to his waist. His bangs just slightly interfered with his holy blue eyes. His slightly tanned face made him look gentle, but at the same time, strong-willed and all-knowing. He was tall, maybe a little taller than Yoji, with a slim build. He was dressed in a white suit with a darker tie over the undershirt. His very presence was almost inhuman, yet it was like that in a good way.

Omi would never have guessed who this man was. Yoji probably could have, but he was currently in a state of emotional pain. Ken, however, know instantly who this man was. "God, what are You doing here?" the brunette dared to ask.

"Since I am in my human form, my name is Jehovah Salvare," the man explained. "Now please tell me, where is Aya?"

"I don't know," Ken confessed. "All I know is that before he went missing, angel wings appeared on his back and he just suddenly flew away."

"Hmm, I thought so," Jehovah replied. "Listen closely. I believe Aya is right now in Hell. Normally I could do this myself, but this is different. I need all of you to come with me to keep him under control."

"I'm not going," Yoji declined. "I'll just get in the way. But I'll let you use my car."

"I understand," Jehovah said. "When we return, I will tell you about Aoi."

Yoji smiled weakly. "Thanks."

Ken picked up Yoji's car keys from the counter. "Let's go now," he suggested.

Omi and Jehovah agreed.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

The redheaded angel blocked Satan's pitchfork with his crimson energy blade. The Devil then sent His foot into the angel's side, thus slamming him into a nearby wall.

The angel stood up, still more than ready to continue fighting. Then he turned his head suddenly, as if he saw something that he had not expected to see. His lips moved, like he was yelling something, but as he was distracted, Satan slashed the sharp end of His pitchfork clean through the angel's neck. Almost instantly, the angel's body and severed head vanished. Satan held out His hand and a glowing, whitish-black energy sphere appeared in the outstretched hand.

Aya shook his head. He was still dazed from falling unconscious. He was suspended in the air by a rope tied around his wrists, but he didn't know what he was being suspended from. The bad thing was that he was beginning to develop rope burn. He felt heavier, like the atmosphere was pressing down on him. He also felt as if something, like a pair of giant hands, had closed around his body and was trying to squeeze him to death. It was difficult for him to breathe.

He soon allowed his eyes to focus on his surroundings. It looked as if he was very deep underground. In front of him, in the far distance, was a mountain-like castle. On the sides of the castle were waterfalls of…fire?

_Am I in Hell?_ Aya wondered. He turned his head. To his right were blazing fires. There were also blazing fires to his left. He wondered why he was in Hell. He had thought that Satan only wanted the Weiß Kreuz. A thought then stuck him. Did he still have the white cross necklace? He let out a sigh of relief when he felt the cross on his bare chest. However, he no longer had the choker around his neck. Then he suddenly remembered another thing. The demon possessing Kodoku had mentioned that he held some sort of "great power." Maybe that was what Satan really wanted…

"So what do you think of Hell?" asked a familiar cold voice behind Aya.

"It's everything I imagined it to be," Aya answered sarcastically.

Satan teleported in front of Aya. "I guess you aren't impressed because you can't see the true Hell," He figured. "But what of Pandemonium, or of what you can see?"

"You mean the capital of Hell?" Aya reworded. "If it's that castle over there, it's about as plain as the rest of Hell."

Satan sighed. "Quit smarting off unless you want to be a permanent resident here," He threatened.

Aya rolled his eyes. "So why am I here?" he wanted to know. "I'm not dead, am I?"

"No, you're not," Satan confirmed. "You are here so that the angel within you can awaken. You see, you are the reincarnation of a powerful angel named Resurgere."

"What are You talking about?" the redhead wondered.

"So you need more information about angels and demons," the Devil mumbled. "Okay, when an angel or demon suffer a wound that would normally kill a human, their body disappears and their soul goes to Limbo. Once they spend enough time in Limbo, which is different for every angel and demon, they are reborn into the Surface World. Most humans nowadays are reincarnations of angels and demons. Of course, angels and demons lose their power when they are reborn. However, you were reincarnated differently."

Satan reached out and touched the Weiß Kreuz around Aya's neck. "I was always aware of Resurgere's power. When I sent him to Limbo, I sealed his power inside the Weiß Kreuz. To ensure that you got the necklace, I had a demon possess Sakura-san so that she'd buy it for you."

"Then tell me, why do You need Resurgere to awaken?" Aya yelled impatiently, not noticing that Satan had been polite and thrown a "-san" at the end of Sakura's name. "Was I more powerful than You?"

Satan hesitated. "To the angels, you were known as the 'Kiseki no Hoshi.' They believed that, because of your immense power, you could put an end to the Krieg von Tränen."

Now Aya was really angry. "You're not answering my question!" he screamed.

Satan sent His fist into Aya's stomach, causing saliva to fly out of the redhead's mouth. "I tell you only what you need to know," the Devil told Aya. "You will learn the rest soon." He pulled His arm back and a shining energy sphere appeared in His hands. "This is Mayu Yumeki's power, currently God's most powerful angel and just barely more powerful than my strongest demon. However, Yumeki's power is nowhere near yours."

"So what are You going to do with that power?" Aya dared to ask.

"Why, I am going to use it to get Resurgere to awaken," Satan answered with an evil grin.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"So let me get this straight," Ken requested of Jehovah. "Aya is the reincarnation of a very powerful angel named Resurgere and Satan sealed that angel's power inside the Weiß Kreuz?"

Jehovah nodded. He had just finished explaining to Ken and Omi what Satan had explained to Aya.

"But Jehovah-san, what makes Satan so interested in Resurgere?" Omi asked. Despite his attempts to hide it, the uncomfortable hints in his voice were rather obvious.

"Child, there is something troubling you," Jehovah noticed, his voice very gentle. He laid his hand upon Omi's blond hair. "Please, tell me what bothers you."

Omi's large blue eyes fell from Jehovah's gaze. "No, nothing's bothering me," he lied, his voice uneven. "I just want to know why Satan's interested in Resurgere. That's all."

"We're at the Shinto temple now," Ken informed the other two guys. He parked the car next to the stairs. The three guys headed up the stairs and were teleported to Subete once they stepped into the torii.

"Ken, Omi, I will warn you now," Jehovah began. "The atmosphere of Hell is very different from that of the Surface World and Heaven. It may be difficult for you to handle."

Ken unsheathed his bugnuks. "I'm ready," he stated.

"So am I," Omi seconded.

Jehovah smiled. "Very well then," he replied. He raised his arm and was engulfed in a bright, holy blue light. The light died down, revealing Jehovah in his true from as God. The Almighty turned to face the tall red cross, and the Blau Kreuz about His neck glowed warmly.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Satan whipped Aya's unclothed back with Yumeki's stolen power. The red-haired assassin suppressed his scream, even though that blow had ripped open the skin. He already had one gash across his stomach. He was not sure if he could handle the new wound on his back.

"Come now, allow Resurgere to awaken," Satan commanded in a manipulative tone. "Think of all the power you will have."

"No…" Aya refused weakly. "I refuse to allow Resurgere to awaken. I just can't!"

"I see…" the Devil replied, appearing in front of Aya. "But he will awaken eventually. He is awakening even as we speak." He whipped Aya's stomach again, right on the gash. Aya screamed loudly and began to cough blood.

Satan reached out and touched the ring-like scar around Aya's neck. "Such a lovely scar," He commented. "It is Resurgere's scar, not yours. So you see, you are already becoming the angel you so seem to detest." He raised his hand in preparation to slash Yumeki's power across Aya's chest, but a blue energy whip that tied around His wrist stopped Him.

"Ken, Omi, go save Aya!" God commanded the two members of Weiß. He pulled Satan towards Him as Ken and Omi went for Aya. The brunette severed Aya's bindings with his bugnuks and the young blond caught the weakened redhead before he hit the hard ground. Ken kneeled over to support Aya's shoulders and to see just how serious his wounds were.

"We need to get out quickly!" Ken yelled to the Almighty. "Aya looks like he's lost a lot of blood!"

"You will not escape!" Satan promised, pointing his hand at the three members of Weiß. Vivid fire erupted around them, trapping them.

God jumped up into the air and bounced off Satan to get into the ring of fire. He made the fire flash blue and rise higher. The Devil, impatient and quite outraged, forced the fire to die down completely. But all that did was show Him that the three knight hunters and God were gone, no where to be seen. Frustrated, He sent His fist into the hard ground, cracking it deeply.


	13. Genesung

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 12: Genesung  
As the sun shone down on her back, Sakura wandered through the park. It was such a lovely day, but she found that she was unable to enjoy it. It had only been two days since that fateful talk with Aya. The bruise had almost completely faded away, but it was still there. She could barely stand to look at her own reflection until that bruise was gone forever.

She sat down on the wooden bench and gazed up at the clear blue sky. _Aya-san…_ she thought, touching her brown hair. _How would you see me if I grew my hair out?_

"Anyone sitting here?" asked a friendly male voice next to Sakura.

Sakura jumped at the sound of the voice. "Sekai-san!" she exclaimed, moving over to the other side of the bench, away from Kage.

Kage laughed softly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kidnap you this time," he explained, sitting down on the opposite end of the bench. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. Oh, and, you don't have to call me Sekai-san. Just Kage is fine, or Kage-kun if you really need to be polite."

Sakura was still nervous. She then noticed that, since Kage was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, there was a long, shallow cut on his right arm. "Kage-kun, your arm…"

Kage hastily covered the cut with his left hand. "Um, it's nothing," he lied. "Anyway, how's that redhead doing? What was his name?"

"Fujimiya Aya," Sakura answered. "He's okay now…"

Kage could tell that the girl did not want to carry the conversation any further. "So have you decided to take my suggestion?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sakura confessed. "Even if I did grow my hair out long, I don't think Aya-san will notice me…" She quickly covered her mouth, realizing what she just said.

"So Fujimiya's your crush?" Kage figured, his gray eyes filled with amusement. "You know, I could kinda tell by how you were reacting to when he was being tortured."

Sakura remained silent. She appeared rather depressed.

_She's not comfortable with this,_ Kage noticed. "Is something wrong?" he wondered, laying his hand on Sakura's head. "You're not comfortable with talking about Fujimiya, are you?"

Sakura shook her head in response. "It's just that he doesn't see me in the way I want him to," she admitted. "I mean, I know I'm six years younger than him, but still…"

"Sakura," Kage said gently. "Talk to him. You don't have to tell him how you feel. Just try to make conversation with him."

"Kage-kun…I feel like there's some really big gap between us," Sakura continued. "That's why I have trouble talking to him these days. I don't understand him anymore."

Kage stood up and turned his back to Sakura. "Remember, communication is important in a good relationship," he reminded. "If you don't have that, then your relationship's doomed. You may want to learn who he really is before getting into one with him. Think about it. Well, see ya later." With that, he left, leaving the depressed and confused girl alone.

_Aya-san, who are you really?_ Sakura wondered, recalling the ugly scar around Aya's neck and how suddenly his wounds had healed after he was tortured. _Are you even human?_ She pushed the thought from her mind. _Of course he is! What else could he be?_ She smiled weakly and went back to walking through the park.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Omi picked up the "Nakayoshi Deluxe" magazine and began flipping through it for the sixth time, just like with all the other magazines in the hospital waiting room. Ken was also in the waiting room, but Jehovah was not. He had gone back to the Kitty in the House to keep his promise to Yoji as well as to return the blond playboy's car and would return to Heaven afterwards.

The young blond laid his head back. He was bored of magazines, but simply because he could not concentrate on them. It had been two hours since he and Ken had brought Aya to the hospital, and he was very worried about Aya. The horrified looks on the doctors' faces when they had seen Aya, all drenched in that vividly colored blood, did not help much either. He was also cursing himself for not asking Jehovah the one question that was burning in his heart. Omi was so absorbed in his thoughts that he actually let out a yelp of surprise when Ken put the Weiß Kreuz, which was quite cold, up against his cheek.

"Calm down, it's just me," Ken reassured, a tiny smile on his lips.

"Ken-kun, this isn't the time for childish pranks!" Omi scolded. "Aya-kun could be in the emergency room, almost dead!"

Ken was taken back by Omi's sudden outburst. "Hey, I was only trying to lighten the mood," he explained. "I didn't hold the Weiß Kreuz in front of the air vent for an half-hour for nothing."

Omi let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I'm really worried about Aya-kun." He looked up at Ken. "Ken-kun, this is off topic, but can I ask you something?"

Ken was puzzled by this request. "Sure, go ahead," he allowed.

Omi inhaled a deep breath. "Those cuts on your arms," he began. "Why are you cutting yourself? Are you depressed?" He asked the two questions very, very quickly. He really did not want to have to ask Ken those questions, but it was not healthy for the brown-haired soccer player to be cutting himself.

Ken narrowed his dull green eyes. "Why are you so uncomfortable around Jehovah?" he snapped back. He was being cruel, but he did not want Omi meddling in his personal business.

"I…" Omi hesitated. Before Ken could push for an answer, one of the doctors that had taken Aya to the emergency room stepped into the waiting room.

Omi jumped out of his seat and ran up to the doctor. "So how's Aya-kun?" he wanted to know.

"Fujimiya-san is currently in intensive care, but only as a precaution," the doctor explained. "He is actually doing quite well. We have stopped the bleeding and given him a proper blood transfusion. If he continues to do this well, he will be moved to a normal hospital room late tomorrow."

"That's reassuring," Ken commented. "Can we visit him?"

"Yes, but only for an hour," the doctor decided. "He still needs plenty of rest."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Yoji reached up and laid his hand on the clear window. He stared at his reflection, but it was not himself he was thinking about. Instead, he was thinking about what Jehovah had told him about Aoi.

_"Yoji, Aoi is an angel," Jehovah started. "She was sent to the Surface World so that demons would not be able to possess you or any of your friends if she was anywhere near you."_

_"I kinda figured she was an angel myself," Yoji mumbled in a depressed tone._

_"That is not all," Jehovah continued. "You see, she was not supposed to fall in love with you or any other human. It is just not meant to be that way. Because of that, she must return to Heaven. You must try to forget about her. I am truly sorry about all of this."_

_Yoji let out a light sigh and forced a weak smile. "I see…" he replied. "Don't worry 'bout it. I'll eventually get over Aoi. I mean, there are other girls out there just waiting for a sexy guy like me to come along."_

_"Remember, lust is one of the seven deadly sins," Jehovah reminded with a small smile, standing up. "I must return to Heaven myself now. Good luck." He left the flower shop after that._

Yoji pounded the window with his fist. _I lied to God,_ he told himself. _I won't ever get over Aoi. I never even got over Asuka._ He reached into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes and his lighter. He then pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and put it in his mouth.

There was a knock on the door. "Coming!" Yoji yelled. He went over to the door and opened it, revealing Sakura. "Oh, hey Sakura!" he greeted as cheerfully as he could. "What brings you here?"

"I came to see Aya-san," Sakura answered, looking down at her feet.

"Oh, well, he's not here, but you couldn't have wanted to see him at a better time!" the jade-eyed blond explained. "He's in the hospital right now, and he could really use a girl like you at his side."

"Wait, why's Aya-san in the hospital?" Sakura wanted to know, concerned.

"He got into a fight and got seriously injured. C'mon, let's go!" Yoji grabbed Sakura by her arm and dragged her with him to his car.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"How are you feeling, Aya-kun?" Omi asked Aya as he and Ken stepped in the amethyst-eyed florist's room.

"Fine, I guess," Aya answered. He was lying in a hospital bed with clean white sleets, and he was clothed in a pale blue hospital gown with IV tubes in both his left hand and throat. He also had a tube up his nose to keep him from starving because he would not be able to eat solid foods for about two days.

"That's nice, even though you don't look too pleasant with that tube jammed into your nose," Ken added, sitting down on the chair next to Aya's bed.

There was a clouded look in the redhead's pale violet eyes. "Omi, I need to talk to Ken alone," he told the younger blond. "Can you leave?"

Omi was baffled by Aya's sudden order. "Wait, what can't I hear that Ken-kun can?" he demanded to know.

"Omi, just take my word for it and leave!" Aya commanded in a harsh voice. "Call Yoji and have him come over to pick you and Ken up. Wait for him in the parking lot after you call him."

There was a long silence. "Fine, I'll go call Yoji-kun now," Omi complied, his large blue eyes also holding a clouded look. He left the hospital room.

"Aya, that was harsh," Ken told the red-haired florist.

"I know," Aya agreed. "But I just didn't want Omi to hear what I'm about to tell you. He wouldn't be able to handle it. Whatever I say now does not leave this room, got it?"

The former soccer player nodded his head in reply.

"Listen, Resurgere is a very powerful angel," Aya reminded. "So powerful that only half his power is needed to completely annihilate the entire world. I felt that power back when I being tortured by Dr. Korosu and Lucifer. It was too much for me to handle. I can't control that much power." He paused before going on. He was hesitant to force Ken to promise what he wanted. "Ken, I want you to promise me something. No matter what happens, if I ever start to even slightly lose control of Resurgere, I want you to kill me."

Ken almost choked on his own saliva. "What?" he exclaimed. "You're kidding, right? I can't promise that!"

"Promise me!" Aya ordered sternly. "My life is unimportant compared to the lives of others. If you don't promise me, I will kill myself here and now!"

Ken said nothing for a while. Promising Aya to kill him if he began to lose control of Resurgere was not very encouraging for the brunette, but if he did not, the redhead had sworn he would kill himself. So in reality, Ken really had no choice. "I promise," he finally decided. He now understood why Aya did not want Omi around at this moment.

"Don't tell Yoji, Omi, or anyone else about this promise," Aya requested. "Especially Sakura. I'm sorry for making you promise this, but you're the only one I can trust. I shouldn't have made a threat like that."

"I won't tell anyone," Ken assured, unable to look Aya in the eyes. "I just hope that I won't have to keep that promise." He stood up and was about to walk out the door, but he almost bumped into Yoji and Sakura.

"Hey Ken," Yoji greeted. "Leaving so soon? Well, I met up with Omi just as he was about to call me. Said that I was supposed to pick up you and Omi. I guess it was a waste of my time to bring Sakura, huh?"

"Sakura can stay for a little bit," Aya said. "You can take her home after you drop off Ken and Omi."

"Uh, sure," Yoji responded, rather surprised at the unusual request. "C'mon, Ken." He left the hospital room and Ken followed.

Sakura sat down on the chair near the bed Aya was resting in. "So, uh, how are you feeling?" she asked nervously, trying not to stare at the ugly scar around Aya's neck.

"I'm fine," Aya answered emotionlessly. "Why are you here? I thought I told you to stay away from me for your own sake."

"Um…" Sakura laid her hands on Aya's right hand. Surprisingly, he did not pull his hand away. "You're acting like you're gonna die," Sakura noticed, trying to change the subject. "You shouldn't act that way."

Aya reached out with his other hand and touched Sakura's face. "You're right, I shouldn't," he agreed. "But if you knew even half of what happens in my life, you would understand."

"I already understand," Sakura said, pressing Aya's hand between her jaw and her shoulder.

"I need some sleep now, so please be quiet." Aya pulled his hand back and closed his pale eyes. He immediately fell into a deep sleep.

"Good night, Aya-san," Sakura whispered softly. After a few minutes had passed, when she was certain Aya was asleep, she bent over him and lightly kissed his forehead. She felt like she could watch him for hours, and perhaps an hour did pass, as when she looked up from Aya again, she saw Yoji's shadow outside the door, and she then went out to join him.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Meanwhile, Lucifer was sitting in a large tree near the window to Aya's hospital room, spying on the amethyst-eyed assassin and the others. _Hmm…maybe Ran really does have some true feelings for Sakura-san,_ he thought. _Perhaps if I kidnap her, Ran will force Resurgere to awaken._ He shook his head in disbelief of the strange and cliché plan. _What am I thinking? That idea is SO overdone! But it does seem fitting for me, the Prince of Darkness… _His thought was interrupted by the loud chipping of a squirrel next to him.

"What do you want?" Lucifer wondered, quite annoyed at the noisy squirrel. "I'm not moving, even if this is your spot."

The squirrel opened its mouth and clomped its fangs on Lucifer's hand. He manically shook his hand to shake the squirrel off, but the small rodent had a strong grip.

"Hey, let go, you stupid animal!" Lucifer ordered. "Do you not realize who I am? I am Satan, Lord of Hell, and the Prince of Darkness! I will steal your worthless soul and torment you forever in Hell!"

Finally he fell out of the tree and landed on his back, uninjured. The squirrel released his hand and made a noise that sounded like snickering before scurrying back up the tree.

Lucifer ran his fingers through his dark hair. "This is way I don't come to the Surface World more often," he mumbled to himself.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

_One week later._

Yoji parked his car in front of the Kitty in the House. He had picked Aya up from the hospital because the red-haired florist was recovered enough to leave, although he was warned not to overexert himself. Afterwards, Aya had to jab his elbow really hard into Yoji's ribs to get the blond to stop laughing.

Aya stepped out of Yoji's car and was rather surprised at what he saw. Above the entrance to the flower shop hung a large white banner that read "Welcome back, Aya-sama!" in huge, red Japanese kana. Eager high school girls waited to greet Aya.

"Hey, where's the guest of honor?" Yoji asked, also getting out of the car.

"Right here!" Omi called out, pointing at Sakura, who was next to him. He gave her a little nudge forward. "Go on," he urged.

Sakura quickly walked up to Aya. "Welcome back, Aya-san," she greeted with a small bow.

Aya returned Sakura's bow. "What's going on?" he wanted to know of Yoji.

"Well, we thought that, since you didn't get to see a whole lot of pretty girls for a week, we should have a welcoming party," Yoji explained. "We also decided to make your girlfriend the guest of honor."

Aya rolled his purple eyes in annoyance. "She's not my girlfriend," he corrected in a dry voice.

"At least not yet," Yoji added with a smirk.

During all this, Lucifer had been attempting to get through the mob of girls with absolutely no success. "Excuse me," he requested in his unnaturally cold voice. No one even tried to move as to allow him to get through.

"That guy's hot," whispered one of the girls, "but there's something about him I don't like."

"I know what you mean," agreed another girl. "He seems too evil."

Finally Lucifer was able to get through the deadly mob without losing any vital body parts. He removed his sunglasses and then death-glared the crowd, and the girls were away from the flower shop faster than anyone could say, "Go away."

Aya was not one to like having all his shop's customers scared away. "What do you want?" he coldly asked Lucifer.

Lucifer put his sunglasses back on and stepped up to Aya. "I just wanted to see how you were doing," he answered. "Is there anything so wrong with that?" He turned to face Sakura and took her hands into his. "Ah, Sakura-san. You grow lovelier every time I see you." He pulled some money out of the breast pocket of his jacket and shoved it into Aya's hands. He then reached for a blooming red rose and gave it to Sakura. "For you, my dear Sakura-san," he presented.

"Uh, thank you," Sakura accepted, taking the rose from Lucifer.

Aya threw the money Lucifer had given him to the ground. "What do you want with Sakura?" he demanded to know.

"Oh, not much," Lucifer admitted. "I just want her to come to Hell with me."

Sakura took a few steps backward. "Wha-what do you mean?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"Ken, get Sakura out of here!" Aya ordered Ken.

Ken grabbed Sakura's wrist. "C'mon, this way," he said, pulling the brown-haired girl to the back room. Yoji and Omi followed.

Aya charged for Lucifer and threw a punch, but Lucifer caught the redhead's fist and sent his own fist into Aya's stomach. Blood flew out of Aya's mouth as Lucifer tossed him into a wall. "You're way too reckless, just like Resurgere was," Lucifer insulted. He disappeared and almost instantly reappeared with Sakura. He had his arm around her throat.

"Sakura!" Aya exclaimed, getting back up on his feet.

"…help…me…" Sakura pleaded in a choked voice, trying to pry Lucifer's arm from her throat.

"If you want to rescue Sakura-san, come to Hell," Lucifer told Aya. "I'll be waiting." He vanished, along with Sakura.

"No…" Aya protested. "SAKURA!"


	14. Entschlossenheit

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 13: Entschlossenheit  
_Was wollen Sie?  
Ich weiß nicht._

"You know, it was nice to be in the Surface World again, but it's great to be able to return to Heaven," Yumeki said to Aoi. He had regained enough of his power to go back to Heaven and Aoi was coming with him. Currently they were ascending the stairs that led to the gateway to Subete. They were nearing the Shinto temple and its torii.

"Yes, it is," Aoi agreed in a dull tone.

Yumeki let out a sigh at Aoi's stoic attitude. "Look, I said I was sorry about the kiss," he apologized again. "You understand why I kissed you, right?"

"It was because you love me," Aoi added. "But you know I don't return those feelings."

The two angels soon reached the torii and stepped though it. They felt the normal rough pulling and appeared in Subete almost a moment later.

"So how did you get into the Surface World?" Yumeki asked Aoi. "Did God loan you the Blau Kreuz in hopes that you were powerful enough to use it?"

Aoi shook her head. "No, He just injected me with some of the Blau Kreuz's power," she explained. "That power allowed me to travel between the Surface World and Subete at will, but once I return to Heaven, that power will be gone."

Yumeki turned his face away from Aoi's and looked towards the tall blue cross that was connected to Heaven. "Hey, I'm really sorry for how all this came out," he suddenly said. "The only thing I desire is your happiness. If being with that weirdo Kudou makes you happy, then I'm happy. It's a pity that's not possible…"

Aoi forced a tiny grin. "Thanks Yumeki," she said, stepping up to Yumeki and laying a hand on his firm shoulder. "But to be honest, I'm not going back to Heaven right now." She collected some energy in her other hand and sent it into the former colonel's stomach. Yumeki instantly passed out, but not before softly asking, "Aoi…why…?"

"Sorry," Aoi apologized after Yumeki passed out. She pushed his body near the blue cross and his body was teleported to Heaven. She really did feel guilty about tricking Yumeki, but she knew he wouldn't understand what she was feeling.

Aoi glanced towards the large white cross. "Yoji, I promise that we'll be together," she whispered. She headed back to the Surface World.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Sakura slowly opened her pink eyes. Her head buzzed as if there was a swarm of bees trying to break free from her skull. Her mind was still fuzzy and dazed. She remembered being dragged through a red torii and pulled towards somewhere, but she could not recall what happened after that. However, she recalled that before she seemed to pass out, someone whispered to her, "Don't worry. I may be the Devil, but I will not hurt you."

She rubbed her eyes and sat up. She was sitting on a golden throne with crimson, crushed velvet for padding. A fiery red carpet ran from the throne to a set of tall, golden doors with unusual designs and gems encrusted in them. To the sides of the carpet were torches that were vividly burning away. The walls made this room feel like a cavern that was very deep underground since they seemed to be made up of hard and craved stones.

_Where am I?_ Sakura wondered. She remembered Lucifer saying something about wanting to take her down to Hell with him. Was she in Hell? She stood up and walked behind the throne she had woken up in. To her right and left were two pillars opposite each other, wedged into the walls. Fancy markings curled around the top and bottom of the two pillars. On the back wall hung a hand-painted portrait of two men. The two men looked similar, but were still different. The man in the upper-right corner was handsome and gentle-looking with dark purple hair and holy blue eyes. But the man in the lower-left corner appeared evil and sadistic with black hair that had a raspberry shine and blood-red eyes. He looked much like Lucifer…

The portrait only held Sakura's attention for a few seconds. In front of the painting was a lovely pedestal that rose up to her shoulders. On top of the pedestal, enclosed in a transparent glass dome, was what seemed to be the broken half of a crystalline orb. Its color was hard to make out. From one angle, it appeared whiter than Aya's cross necklace, but from another angle, it was blacker than a starless night sky. _What's this?_ Sakura asked herself. She touched the side of the glass dome, but did not dare to lift it.

"So you're the girl Satan brought back with Him?" said a stoic male voice behind Sakura. "He plans to use _you_ to lure Fujimiya here? What is He thinking?"

Sakura turned around so that she could see who was behind her. It was Kiseki Kodoku. Unlike when she first met him, he now had two small, black horns poking out from his spiky brown hair and large, demonic wings growing out of his back. "Kiseki-san?" Sakura said in disbelief.

"Yes, I was General Kiseki Kodoku before I became a demon of Hell," Kodoku confirmed. "Look at what's around your neck."

Sakura raised her hands to her throat. Hugging the skin like a choker was a leather strip with an inverted pentagram, the Devil's symbol, hanging from it. Two points of the star were touching the top of the circle while only one point made contact with the bottom. "What is this?" she exclaimed, about to remove the choker before Kodoku stopped her.

"Don't take off that necklace," the demon ordered, "unless you feel you're strong enough to handle the heavy atmosphere of Hell." He stepped up to Sakura. "So Tomoe-san, how hurt would Fujimiya be if you were harmed or killed?" He sounded less calm now, and quite cruel.

"W-Why do you want to know?" the young girl shuddered violently, taking a few steps backwards, away from Kodoku. There was a sadistic look in his brown eyes.

"Answer me!" Kodoku yelled, gripping Sakura's shoulders and shaking her vigorously. "Does Fujimiya care for you or not?"

"I don't know!" Sakura screamed fearfully, trying to push Kodoku away from her. "Stop asking me that!"

"Kodoku, get your hands off Sakura-san," commanded an evil voice calmly, as a man who resembled the Lucifer from the painting appeared in the room. Sakura instantly knew who He was.

Kodoku backed away from Sakura as Satan stepped up to her. "Well Sakura-san, how are you feeling?" the Devil asked. "Did you have a nice nap?"

Sakura turned her face away. "Why am I here?" she wanted to know. She tried to ask that as calmly as possible, but she could not hide all the anxiety that was in her voice.

Satan grinned wickedly. He laid one hand on Sakura's shoulder and used His other hand to gently tilt her chin upward so to force her to look up at Him. "You know, I think it is about time I told you the truth about a man you know as 'Fujimiya Aya.'" He figured.

"The truth?" Sakura repeated, her voice filled with worry.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Kage leaned against the brick wall of the narrow alley he was walking through, next to the rusty, silver garbage cans. He clutched his wounded arm. But that wound was nothing compared to the cuts across his chest and back. He remembered so well how he had received the wounds, for it was only a little over a week ago since Lucifer had tortured him.

_"Sekai, be thankful I am not going to kill you. I should after what you did, but I may have further need of you."_

_Slash. Bleed._

Lucifer had suspended Kage by his wrists in the air. Stripped of his shirt, he could so easily feel the blood that trailed down his front and back. So easily could he feel all the pain. He truly despised pain.

_"You do not question your employer, especially not one that saved you from your own mind. Remember, if not for me, you would be still trapped in that shadow world hidden in the back of your mind."_

_Slash. Bleed. Cruel laughter._

The shadow world. Kage had retreated back there to survive Lucifer's torture, although not so far that he could not pull himself out. Kage hated the feeling of pain and feared it, and that was why his shadow world existed; as a temporary escape from pain.

_"Did you think I would really break my promise? Yes, Sakura-san is beautiful, but I gave you my word that I would not hurt her. She was only to keep the other guy under control. You did not have to get involved. Do you really mistrust me so?"_

_Slash. Bleed. Scream._

"Oh, do I ever hate you, Lucifer-sama," Kage admitted aloud. "I'm grateful to you and everything, but did you ever stop to think that I was happy in my own little 'shadow world'? It is the only place I can ever see my beloved anymore." He slowly slid down to the ground and wrapped his arms protectively around his body. "Nadeshiko, why did you leave…?" he quietly breathed into the wind.

After a few minutes had passed he stood up again. _I really do hate you, Lucifer-sama,_ he said to himself. _You say you have no interest in a young girl like Sakura, yet you still kidnap her. It's not just because Fujimiya and his three friends are Weiß, is it? _"Weiß" was a widely known and feared name in the underworld, so naturally Kage was familiar with the name. But not even he would've imagined four men who worked at a flower shop would actually be the most feared assassin group in all of Japan.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya appeared in Hell from the red cross in Subete. He was fully dressed in his assassin outfit. This time he wore no choker to hide the scar circling his neck; instead, the collar of the black, sleeveless sweater he wore under his maroon trench coat was enough to cover the scar.

At first glance, it seemed that the only weapon he was carrying was his katana, but he had other weapons well hidden under his trench coat, as well as the Weiß Kreuz in the breast pocket.

"Ah, so you are here now," echoed Satan's cold voice from a place Aya could not see. "Well, shall I take you to where you begin your trials?"

Before Aya had a chance to respond, the surrounding area was engulfed by a dark-colored light and he was pushed forward incredibly fast. Almost as suddenly as it came, the light vanished and the purple-eyed redhead was standing inside a narrow tunnel dimly lit by dying torches.

At first it seemed as if there was nothing to stand in Aya's way. However, he was prepared for anything. He was ready to draw his katana at anytime. He began walking briskly forward. He wanted to save Sakura quickly, for she would not be able to handle the atmosphere of Hell for long, but he feared that if he moved too quickly, he would regret it.

The first few minutes were uneventful, but Aya never let his guard down, not even for a second. Finally he heard soft footsteps behind him. He hastily unsheathed his katana and whirled around to slash whoever was behind him, but surprisingly, there was nothing.

"What the?" Aya exclaimed quietly, lowering his sword.

"Behind you," directed a high, evil-sounding, male voice. It came from behind the stoic assassin.

Aya turned around, but then took a few steps backwards out of surprise. Behind him was a demon, but this demon appeared very different than others he had heard about. Like with the others, this demon had two devil horns growing out of his head, but unlike with the others, he appeared less human. His face was more deformed and monstrous, and his skin was a deadly white, just like his messy hair. Also, he was much taller than Aya and had a heavier build. The demon was dressed in an over-sized, white sweatshirt and baggy pants.

"Who are you?" Aya asked in his emotionless, low voice.

"I am Hourousha, Satan's most powerful demon," the demon introduced himself. "But enough talk. Let's fight now." From his hand, he fired a dark energy beam at Aya. The assassin rolled out of its path and then charged for Hourousha with his katana raised. Hourousha caught Aya's katana between his palms and sent his foot into the redhead's side, pushing him into the wall.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Night had fallen on the Surface World, so the Kitty in the House was closed, but Yoji, Ken, and Omi were still awake. The two blonds were up in their own rooms, but Ken was still in the main section of the shop.

Aya's decision to go alone had been made quickly. His reasoning had been this: "Knowing Satan, He would probably have it so that I must allow Resurgere to awaken. If that is true, then I must go alone." Omi argued back, saying that Aya had not recovered enough to go by himself. The young blond had flatly refused to shut up unless Aya changed his mind, so Aya had smacked Omi across the face so that he would stop protesting his choice. Yoji at first was hesitant to allow Aya to go alone, but eventually he agreed. Ken had not seemed to care one way or the other. It was almost as if he was happy that Aya wanted to go alone.

Ken looked over at the red Japanese roses and remembered the promise he had made to Aya. What had Aya been thinking, forcing Ken to make such a promise? Ken may have been the most trust-worthy of Weiß, but he was also the weakest. He really wasn't cut out to be some cold-hearted assassin.

He went over to the roses and wrapped one hand around their thorny stems. He squeezed tighter, and ignored all the pain. He would not let go until the thorns drew blood the color of the roses' buds.

A knock on the rolled down grate brought Ken back to reality. "We're closed!" he yelled, annoyance in his voice. He didn't feel up to dealing with people right now.

The person knocked harder, infuriating Ken even more. "All right, I'm coming!" the angry florist said, walking over to the grate and rolling it up, thus revealing a man Ken hoped that he would never have to see again.

Sekai Kage.

Kage seized the collar of Ken's shirt and shoved the brunette against the wall. "Where is Sakura?" he demanded to know.

"Don't you watch the news?" Ken snapped back, trying to pry Kage's fingers from his shirt. So that they would not be considered suspects in Sakura's kidnapping, Weiß had went to the police and Sakura's parents and had given them a detailed description of Lucifer. However, they did not mention that they already knew where Sakura was: in Hell.

"I know that!" Kage yelled. "But why was she kidnapped? Was it because you and your three friends are Weiß?"

"H-How did you know that?" Ken asked, quite shocked.

Kage released Ken's shirt and sat down at the table. "'Weiß' is a widely known and feared name in the underworld," he explained. "But I never would've thought that a bunch of florists were actually the most feared assassin group in all of Japan."

Ken sat down across from Kage. "So why are you so worried about Sakura?" he asked the crime boss.

"I like her, but not in that way," Kage answered. "She's a really nice girl. I was just worried about her." He sighed. "I really don't trust Lucifer-sama. I mean, you ever see how he looks at Sakura? All that lust in his eyes…"

Ken was growing nervous. He didn't trust Kage that much either. After all, the crime boss may have been ordered to come here. But Ken really thought Kage needed to know about Sakura's first encounter with Lucifer. "Sekai, there is something you should know," he began. "It's about when Sakura first met Lucifer, the day before you attacked us. Aya told me about this, so I'm really not sure what happened. From what he said, it seemed that Lucifer had attempted to, well, assault Sakura, but Aya saved her before Lucifer got anywhere."

Kage banged his fist on the table, completely outraged. "He lied to me!" he screamed, his gray eyes filled with fury. "He said that he was only interested in Fujimiya, not Sakura! Lucifer-sama, I hate you. Don't you think Sakura is a bit too young?" It was obvious he had completely forgotten about Ken.

"Lucifer-sama," Ken repeated. "Why do you call him that if you hate him so much?"

"He saved me from insanity, so I have to show my gratitude somehow," Kage explained. His voice had started cracking, as if this was a personal matter for him. His eyes were now clear of any emotion. He lifted his chin up and inhaled a deep, shaky breath. "Well, thanks for the information. I should be leaving now." Without another word, he left the flower shop.

A weak smile came upon Ken's lips. Kage wasn't such a bad person, but Ken still hoped he would never see the crime boss ever again.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Hourousha stepped up to Aya, lifted him off his feet by the collar of his sweater, and then threw him back down on the ground. "This is boring," the demon insulted. "I was expecting more of a challenge from some guy who could survive Satan's torture."

Aya tried to get back on his feet, using his katana for support, but he could not, for there was an immerse pain in his stomach. He groaned softly and clutched his abdomen. He then remembered the doctors' warnings not to overexert himself.

"Oh, can't handle a little pain?" Hourousha assumed mockingly. He pulled his foot back in preparation to send it into Aya's stomach, but the swordsman assassin caught the sadistic demon's foot and pulled him to the ground. Aya jumped back on his feet and was about to jab his katana through Hourousha's heart, but the demon rolled away before it struck him.

Hourousha stood back up and created a black energy blade to counter Aya's katana. He charged for Aya, ready to swing his energy blade into the redhead's side. Aya deflected Hourousha's energy blade and jumped backwards.

"Not bad," Hourousha commented. "You're getting serious."

"I will not lose," Aya promised. "I will defeat you."

"Oh, I somehow doubt that," Hourousha disagreed. He swung his energy blade in an arc, thus firing a curved, dark red blade beam at Aya.

Aya did not try to evade the blade beam. Instead, he merely held his katana horizontally in front of him. The blade beam crashed into an invisible barrier, and dissolved into a million tiny particles.

"What the?" Hourousha exclaimed. "No human can do that!"

Aya's eyes held a blank look, as if he was in a trance. "I will do anything to save Sakura, even allow Resurgere to awaken," he stated firmly. He blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. He jumped into the air in an attempt to slash his katana down on Hourousha. The demon quickly blocked Aya's katana with his energy blade and pushed the redhead away.

_This guy isn't your everyday human,_ Hourousha figured. He charged for Aya again, this time with the intention of cutting the assassin's head off. Aya narrowly dodged the energy blade by bending backwards. He then veered to one side and tore off his trench coat, dropping his katana as well as throwing five poison darts at Hourousha and pulling out a .22 caliber pistol. Hourousha evaded all the darts, made his energy blade disappear, and flew up into the air.

Aya aimed his pistol at Hourousha and began firing, but the bullets were deflected by an invisible barrier. The demon dived for Aya, kicking the gun out of his hand and pinning him to the ground with a foot on his chest.

"Did you really think you could defeat me, Satan's most powerful demon?" Hourousha mocked, pressing down harder on Aya's chest. "What a fool you are. Why did you even try to fight me? What do you want?"

Aya did not answer, for he was trying to get his left foot up to his hand because he had a knife hidden in the boot. Finally he was able to grab the handle. He slashed Hourousha's ankle, causing the demon to withdraw his foot. Aya rolled away, forced his katana to come to his hand, and stabbed the blade through Hourousha's heart.

"The answer to your question is that I don't know," Aya answered as Hourousha's body slowly dissolved into millions of glowing, tiny particles. Once the demon's body was gone, Aya placed his katana back in its scabbard. He retrieved the Weiß Kreuz from the breast pocket of his trench coat and his pistol, but decided he was better off without both the darts and trench coat. He felt a little weak, but thought it was nothing, so he looked forward and continued on, not knowing that the previous battle had stirred Resurgere's power slightly.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Hmm…I can sense a little of Resurgere's power," Satan said aloud. "At this rate, Resurgere will awaken in no time."

Satan and Sakura were in a large, round cavern that was at the end of the tunnel Aya was in. However, Sakura was bound by her wrists and ankles to a tall cross in the center of the room. The cross was stuck into the Devil's own evil symbol, and that made the young girl feel really uncomfortable.

Satan walked up to Sakura and touched her face. "You're a lucky girl," He noticed. "If Ran is allowing Resurgere to awaken, then it is almost impossible for him not to save you. Kidnapping you was the perfect plan." He started smirking, which soon turned into insane laughter, frightening Sakura beyond all belief.


	15. Sakuras Liebe

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 14: Liebe von Sakura  
_Was wollen Sie?  
Ich weiß. Ich liebe sie.  
Sie ist mein Leben._

Aya continued forward. He was still in Hell, trying to get through the tunnel and to where Sakura and Satan were. So far, the only problem he had was with Hourousha. Even so, he had his katana unsheathed and his .22 caliber pistol well hidden under his shirt.

_What else could Satan have to get in my way?_ Aya asked himself, mostly to keep himself from going insane. _I've already gotten rid of His most powerful demon._

He stopped, for the dying touches barely gave off any light. It would be impossible for Aya to defend himself if he were attacked. So he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box of matches. He took one match out and lit it. It didn't give off much light, but it was slightly better than the light given off by the touches. At least he would be able to see were he was.

Soon Aya reached what he believed was a circular room. But he did not see much of it because suddenly all the torches and his match were blown out, leaving him in darkness.

"Traitor," a hoarse whisper insulted from behind Aya. The redhead swiftly whirled around and swung his katana blindly.

"Who's there?" Aya demanded to know.

The torches, just as suddenly as they went out, lit again, this time burning more vividly than before. Aya shielded his eyes until they were adjusted to the sudden brightness. Then, seeing no one in front of him, he turned around. There was a long, thin pole in the center of the room, and standing in front of the pole was Yoji.

"Yoji, what are you doing here?" Aya asked, taking a few steps forward.

"Traitor," Yoji whispered again, causing Aya to halt. "You deserted us when we were up against the militia. We needed you most then, but you deserted us just because you refused to take orders from a Takatori."

Aya said nothing, for the Yoji was right. He had deserted Weiß when they needed him. However, he did return to save their lives and kill half the Japanese militia in the process.

"People like you should not be allowed to live," Yoji added.

Aya then felt something being pushed into his stomach. Saliva flew out of his mouth as he looked down. He saw that it was Ken who had sent his arm into Aya's gut.

"Sadist," Ken said softly but firmly, pulling his arm back. "You forced me to kill my best friend, Kase. You enjoyed watching that, didn't you?"

"No…" Aya corrected, coughing. "You were under orders from Persia. I didn't force you to do anything."

"Liar," Ken disagreed in barely more than a whisper, his eyes holding a murderous look.

"What is wrong with you two?" Aya yelled, unable to contain his rage. Just after he said that, a dart was jabbed into his left shoulder. He reached back to pull out the dart and then turned around to throw it back at whoever was behind him. Omi caught it effortlessly.

"Omi?" Aya exclaimed, becoming more confused by the minute.

"Murderer," Omi said harshly. "You hate my family, and killed my father. You even hate me just because I'm a Takatori."

"I killed your father because he killed my family," Aya added coldly. "You said yourself that he needed to die."

"Murderer," Omi repeated. "The world would be a much better place without people like you." From the inside of his jacket he pulled out and threw a few darts at Aya. The cold and silent assassin deflected the darts with his katana, but then Ken unsheathed his bugnuks and charged for Aya. Aya quickly turned around and the blade of his sword collided with the blades of Ken's bugnuks.

"I promised to kill you," Ken remembered. His face held a crazed yet vague expression. He punched Aya across the face, slightly grazing the redhead's cheek with the bugnuks' blades. Aya dropped his katana in surprise and clutched his bleeding cheek.

Yoji yanked some garrote wire from the watch on his wrist and looped it around Aya's neck, thus pulling Aya against the thin pole. The wire looped several more times around his throat before going taut and almost completely cutting off his air.

"Why…why are you doing this?" Aya asked, choking. His gloved hands slowly went up to his throat so he could attempt to pry the wire from his neck.

"We already told you," Yoji reminded, pulling harder on the wire around Aya's neck. "For revenge. You must die."

Aya fought to breathe. The wire felt as if it were biting through his neck. But breathing became more difficult as the wire grew tighter. Also, because garrote wire was so thin, it was hard for him to get a good grip on it. His vision was beginning to grow blurry as he tasted blood in his mouth. He tried to speak again, but all he could force out were more sickening choking sounds and some blood.

Did Weiß really hate him so? He was cold and distant. Maybe that was why the rest of the knight hunters hated him. No, they had said why they hated Aya. Because Aya was a sadistic and traitorous murderer. No wonder he was hated. All he had ever cared about was being paid, not about the feelings of his co-workers. Aya cared about nothing except for the money.

But he needed the money. Without it, he would not be able to pay his sister's hospital bills. So he really wasn't the sadistic and traitorous murderer he was envisioned to be. He did care for someone, the true Fujimiya Aya. He did not deserve to hold her, but if not for his loving sister, he would have no reason to live.

But he stained her name with the blood of his victims. He was still a cold-blooded murderer. He did not deserve to live. Weiß had made that fact clear to him. _But do I really want to die now?_ he asked himself. Hesitating slightly, he let his hands slowly fall to his sides. He would allow himself to be killed now.

He barely felt the pain when Omi stabbed a dart into his left shoulder. It did not pierce any important arteries, but blood gushed freely from the wound. Ken then stepped up to Aya and wrapped the fingers of his left hand around the nape of the redhead's neck. He used his thumb to force Aya's chin upward to push his head back and aimed the bugnuk of his right hand at Aya's's exposed throat.

_Fight back!_ screamed a voice inside Aya's head. _These aren't your friends!_

Aya's eyes glowed slightly brighter. He tore the wire from his neck and with a physic-like ability, blew Yoji, Omi, and Ken away from him and into the walls.

"You can't fool me," the reincarnated angel explained. "You are not my friends. You are just illusions created by their negative emotions." He held out his hand and his katana flew to the outstretched hand. He then slashed his katana down, creating a large explosion that vaporized the three illusions. The explosion grew colder as the illusions were ripped apart violently and quickly. When it finally died, the area felt like ice.

Exhausted, Aya fell over sideways and hit the ground hard. He had little strength left and did not try to get back up. _I shouldn't have done that,_ he told himself. _I can't defeat Satan in this condition._

The atmosphere of Hell was pressing down on his body. Why couldn't he use Resurgere's power to heal himself? He had used it like that once before, but he had used that power more often offensively, such as he'd done just a few minutes ago. But he could not control himself when he did that, or any other time when he used Resurgere's power. Maybe if he kept going, he would eventually be able to use that power at will. But that was also the one thing he feared.

Finally Aya got back on his feet. His legs felt weak and the skin of his throat was still raw from the garrote wire. He sheathed his katana and walked towards the exit to the circular room. He would save Sakura at any cost, even at the cost of his own life.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Omi was up in his room because he had wanted to be alone. He didn't feel like being around anyone else right now. He hoped that no one would mind, since this was highly unusual for him.

He went over to his bed and from under the pillow, pulled out two photographs. The first photograph was of Sakaki Ouka, a girl whom he used to care for and was just recently discovered to be his half-sister. Sadly, she had been murdered by her own father's bodyguards. The second photograph was of Takatori Shuichi, his uncle and former commander of Weiß; Shuichi was better known as Persia to the rest of Weiß. Shuichi, like Ouka, was dead. His own brother, Takatori Reiji, had killed him.

Without taking his eyes off the photographs, Omi slowly sat down on the edge of his bed. The picture of Ouka had come from his school yearbook; and Manx, Persia's right-hand woman, had given him the picture of Shuichi.

"Ouka…Uncle Shuichi…" Omi moaned. Tears began to escape from his normally cheerful blue eyes. "Why did you both have to die? We were just getting to know each other, so why…?" His tears dripped onto his thigh and rolled off onto the bed. Omi tried to wipe away his tears, but like with every time he thought about his dead loved ones, he could not stop crying.

_You idiot,_ Omi told himself. _You should've known better than to think about Ouka and Uncle Shuichi. You cry every time you think of them._

There was a knock on the door. "Hey kid, are you all right?" asked Yoji's voice from the hallway. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, no," Omi declined in a choked voice. "I'm all right. Nothing to worry about here." He was lying, and even Yoji would be able to tell because of how his voice sounded. Fake cheerfulness and feelings of sorrow just did not mix well together.

Long pause. "If you say so," Yoji accepted. Loud footsteps told Omi that he had gone to his own room.

Omi put the two photographs back under the pillow and then he buried his face in it. The tears still came, and he could barely keep his sobs silent.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Satan paced in front of the cross Sakura was bound to impatiently. "What is taking him so long?" He complained loudly. "He was able to send Hourousha to Limbo, so why is it that he cannot handle the illusions? Unless Weiß's negative emotions were stronger than I thought…" He turned to face Sakura. "Sakura-chan, how much faith do you have in Ran?"

"A…lot," Sakura answered, nervous at the fact that, although Satan no longer threw a "-san" at the end of her name, He was still being polite by calling her Sakura-chan. Because of being bound to the cross for so long, her arms were becoming tired.

"Hmm, that's nice," the Devil replied. "I guess he is moving slow because of that trashing I gave him a few days ago." He stepped up to Sakura and then leisurely ran His fingers down the side of her face. Sakura's breathing became stiff as a sudden chill came over her. "But that just means I can spend more time with you," He whispered in an affectionate tone.

"Satan, I'm here now, just like You wanted," called out a low voice from the other side of the room.

"Ah, Ran," Satan greeted, turning to face Aya. "Or should I say, Resurgere?"

"Do not call me that!" Aya ordered. "I am not Resurgere. I am Fujimiya Ran!" He charged for Satan with his katana raised, but the Devil blocked the katana's blade with His vermilion pitchfork.

"Oh, come now," Satan requested. "Do you really believe it would be fair to you if I battled you in that condition? Instead-" He held up His free hand and a violin appeared, "-we'll have a fiddling contest!"

Aya almost fainted. "You're kidding, right?" he guessed.

"Of course," Satan confirmed, tossing the violin behind Him as it disappeared. "A fiddling contest is the one thing I can't win. Besides, it is not like you are so wounded that I have too much of an unfair advantage." He jumped back and, from the middle point of His pitchfork, fired a dark energy beam at Aya. Aya dodged it by rolling to his left. The energy beam crashed into the wall and destroyed a small portion of it.

"What about Sakura?" Aya asked, getting back on his feet. "You don't care that you might hurt her?"

"I have no fear of that," Satan admitted. "I can control my power. You must learn to do that as well, and that is one of the reasons I kidnapped her. You wouldn't dare lose control of Resurgere with her here, now would you?"

Aya gritted his teeth and again charged for the Devil. His katana and Satan's pitchfork collided together. Aya then pulled his weapon back and swung it towards Satan's side. The Devil caught the blade and yanked it out of Aya's hands.

"You haven't learned a thing since our last fight," Satan commented. "You're still too reckless." He reached for the collar of Aya's sweater and tore it from the redhead's neck, revealing the ugly scar. "Why do you hide your scar? It suits you nicely, even if it is not really your scar; just a fragment from your soul's past. As I told you before, you are becoming Resurgere. Receiving the scar was just the beginning of your transformation."

"No…" Aya protested. "I won't become Resurgere!" He summoned his katana to his hand and dashed forward, slashing his sword wildly. Satan found it increasingly difficult to deflect the enraged assassin's repeated attacks with His pitchfork.

"Ran, you're contradicting yourself!" Satan yelled. "You say you will not become Resurgere, yet you are unleashing his power!"

"Shut up!" Aya commanded, pushing Satan back into a wall with extreme force. He raised his free hand and began collecting white energy.

"You fool!" the Devil insulted, trying to get back on His feet. "You'll kill Sakura-chan if you lose control now!"

Aya's eyes widened and a horrified expression formed on his face. He realized that his human body would not be able to withstand the amount of Resurgere's power he wanted to use, and because he had summoned so much at once, it would overcome his mortal body and lash out violently, indiscriminately killing anyone around, including Sakura. He tried to stop himself, but it was much too late. His concentration was broken. The collected energy started lashing out wildly and uncontrollably, destroying anything it struck.

Satan threw four energy discs at Sakura's bindings to shatter them and caught the girl in His arms before she hit the ground. Then He chanted something unpronounceable, and thus He and Sakura were enclosed in a dark, transparent dome that protected them from Aya's wild energy.

Finally the energy died down. The dark dome reluctantly vanished, revealing Sakura and Satan, both unharmed. Aya fell down to his knees and then hit the ground stomach-first. His eyes held an empty look.

"Aya-san!" Sakura exclaimed, pushing herself out of Satan's protective embrace and running over to Aya's body. She turned him over onto his back and laid her ear on his chest to hear if there was still a heartbeat. There was a heartbeat, but it was very faint.

"He's dying," Sakura informed Satan, who had stepped up to her. "You have to save him!"

"Why should I?" the Devil asked coldly. "He did not listen to me and lost control of Resurgere's power, almost killing you."

"He didn't mean to!" the young girl defended, tears forming in her eyes.

Satan spat on the ground. "Was he really the Kiseki no Hoshi?" He mocked, his tone venomous. "Angels actually believed he was the key to ending the Krieg von Tränen? His power will bring destruction, not hope."

Tears crawled down Sakura's cheeks. "So, You won't save him?" she guessed.

"No, I will not," Satan confirmed.

Sakura's heart was breaking. She knew the Devil was cruel, but she never imagined anyone could be so cruel. "But You have to!" she begged. "I don't want Aya-san to die!"

Satan narrowed his blood-red eyes. "If he lives, he will bring about the destruction of the world," He stated. "Do you really want to sacrifice the world for love? A slightly similar mistake caused the Krieg von Tränen."

A heavy sigh escaped from Sakura as she turned her face away. She slipped her hand under Aya's head and raised it up a little. "I'm sorry, Aya-san," she apologized, bending slightly over Aya. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his. She slowly pulled her lips away after almost half a minute had passed. "I love you," she admitted after she kissed Aya. She allowed his head to stumble on her right shoulder and cried softly into his vivid hair.

"Sakura-chan…" Satan said quietly, laying His hand on Sakura's left shoulder.

"It's just like the broken pieces of sadness," Sakura whispered to herself. "Glass like snow that shuts the town. Even the eyes looking for the days to come, the snow makes them dim beyond the darkness."

After the sorrowful girl said that, quite miraculously, Aya's lifeless body began to glow. His body floated away from Sakura and moved into a standing position. As soon as the feet touched the ground, Aya's body ceased glowing and he opened his beautiful violet eyes.

"Aya-san, you're alive!" Sakura exclaimed happily. She wanted to run up and embrace Aya in her arms, but she was afraid of him pushing her away.

"Yes, I am," Aya said. "The power sealed within the Weiß Kreuz brought me back to life. Resurgere wants me to live now. And I know why." A small smile come across his lips.

Tears started to run down Sakura's face as she ran into Aya's arms, forgetting all about her fears. "Oh Aya-san, I'm so happy!" she confessed, burying her face in the redhead's chest.

Satan clapped His hands together. "This is very touching, maybe too touching for me," He commented. "But you do both know, this romance is doomed." He fired a pure evil energy blast at Aya, but the violet-eyed redhead blocked the energy blast with an invisible barrier. He then vanished along with Sakura out of Hell and to a random place on the Surface World.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

God's holy blue eyes suddenly popped open. He was in His private chambers in Heaven because He had wanted to rest, but a powerful surge of energy abruptly awoke Him.

_This power,_ the Almighty observed. _He is close to awakening fully. The destruction of the world is becoming inevitable._ He stood up. _This should not have happened. I may have to tell Aya everything now._ He closed His eyes and teleported out of His private chambers.

* * *

A/N: Okay, part of this chapter existed solely to make a parody of some song. The whole "Satan challenging Aya to a fiddling duel" came from the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" (by Charlie Daniels), and that song was also the basis for the Futurama episode where Bender goes down to Robot Hell.

Also, Sakura's little quote, "It's just the broken pieces of sadness…" is a translation of the first verse of "Eternal Wind," the Gundam F91 ending theme. It just seemed really appropriate at that moment. As you can plainly see, I am so obsessed with that song and I haven't even seen the movie where it came from! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and hope yaoi fangirls don't come after me with pitchforks and flaming torches.


	16. Wiederentstehen

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 15: Wiederentstehen  
_Wer sind Sie?  
Ich bin ich._

"I am the Alpha and the Omega,  
the first and the last,  
the beginning and the end."  
-Revelations 22:13

Aya and Sakura appeared knee-deep in the warm water of a moonlit lake. Aya had no idea where this place was, but teleporting directly from Hell to the Surface World without stopping in Subete first took a lot of energy, so Aya had not been able to think about the location. Luckily, he would have enough energy to take Sakura and himself back to Japan once he rested for a few minutes.

While standing in the shallow lake, Sakura had her arms around Aya's shoulders while he had his arms tied securely around her waist. Their embrace was protective, for they both feared that if they let go of the other, they would find themselves waking up from a peaceful dream.

"Sakura, Satan didn't hurt you, did He?" Aya asked Sakura, running his fingers through her soft brown hair.

Sakura shook her head. Her nose rubbed up against Aya's collarbone. "No," she assured. "But…"

"But what?"

Sakura lifted her head up, and warm cherry blossom eyes met cold orchid eyes. "But He told me everything about you!" she yelled. "Like how you're a former assassin and that you're the reincarnation of a powerful angel named Resurgere!" She had no idea why she was yelling. Maybe she was afraid, or just sad.

Aya touched Sakura's cheek. "And you still love me, despite all that?" he wondered, his voice soft.

"Yes," Sakura breathed. "But tell me, who do you see me as: your sister, or someone you love?"

Aya hesitated. "Well, you looked so much like my sister that I used to see you as a replacement. But now I see that you're not her. You are someone I love just as much as her, but not as a sister."

"Oh Ran-kun…" Sakura pulled herself closer to Aya as she looked up at him. They started kissing as their fingers intertwined. The girl reluctantly pulled her lips away, and her and Aya's flower-colored eyes met for a breathless moment. He again pressed his lips against hers.

Sakura had never experienced emotions like the one she felt at this moment. As she and Aya were kissing, her senses seemed to sharpen. She felt the wild beat of his heart against her chest, the warmth of his left hand enclosing the fingers of her right hand, his gentle caress of her back, and the softness of his lips. She even felt him remove the necklace that had protected her from Hell's atmosphere from her neck and heard it splash into the lake.

They continued lovingly holding and kissing each other as the large tree growing from a tiny island in the middle of the lake illuminated brighter due to the fireflies, as if blessing Aya and Sakura. However, the stars up in the night sky stayed dim, as though the two were nothing more than star-crossed lovers.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Omi yawned loudly and stretched his arms. It was early morning, but he wanted to wake up early. He entered the kitchen and started getting himself some cereal. He was still half-asleep, so he poured milk on the counter instead of in the cereal bowl. He then picked up the remote to the television, thinking it was a spoon, and sat down at the table. He accidentally pressed the "POWER" button as he jabbed it into the bowl of cereal. The television immediately flicked on.

"…and now for an update on current events, the missing teenage girl, fifteen-year-old Tomoe Sakura, has been safely recovered," announced the news reporter on the television screen.

Omi snapped back into reality and listened sharply.

"The kidnapper has been identified as Lucifer Flagrare, a crime boss who seemed to just appear out of no where and rose quickly to power." The screen switched to a close-up shot of Lucifer getting into a black limousine. "Flagrare's reasons for kidnapping Tomoe are very unclear, for she was unharmed when she was returned, and we have not yet had a chance to interview her. If you have any information regarding Flagrare's whereabouts, please contact us at…"

Omi turned the television off. He was both relieved and worried by the news report. _If Sakura-chan is back, then Aya-kun must be back as well,_ he figured. _But then why hasn't he returned yet?_

The phone started to ring, interrupting Omi's thoughts. He went over to the phone and answered it. "Hello, this is Tsukiyono Omi," he greeted.

"I did not wake you, I hope," the person on the other line greeted back.

Omi recognized the person's voice. "Oh no, God-san, You didn't," he assured. "Anyway, what do you need, and do you know where Aya-kun is?"

"Yes, I do, and that is why I called you," God answered. "You see, Resurgere is now close to awakening fully, and because of that, Aya is trying to isolate himself. From what I can sense, he has already lost control of Resurgere once and is afraid of that happening again. I have been trying to contact him through the Weiß Kreuz, but he is ignoring me. Right now, he is on top of observation deck of Tokyo Tower. I want you to go there and talk to him. If he gets too emotionally drawn into himself, he will again lose control of Resurgere."

"Oh, well, thanks for telling me," Omi thanked. "By the way, this phone call won't show up on the phone bill, will it?"

God chuckled. "No, it will not," He confirmed. "Is there anything else you would like to ask me?"

Omi gripped the phone tighter. His palms were becoming sweaty. There was a question he badly wanted to ask, but he didn't want to burden the Almighty with it. "Well, um…" he trailed off. "No, there isn't. 'Bye."

"Good luck," God wished.

Omi hung up the phone. Trying to shut his own personal problems out of his mind, he quickly devoured the rest of his cereal and went back to his room to get changed out of his pajamas and into a loose white T-shirt and knee-length jean shorts. He then left his room and headed back to the kitchen to write a note to Yoji and Ken saying that he was going to Tokyo Tower to talk to Aya. Once he did that, he slipped on his shoes and left the flower shop.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya studied the reflection of his orchid-colored eyes in the knife he had hidden in his left boot. The Weiß Kreuz hanging from his neck was glowing strongly, but he ignored it. He was seriously thinking about stabbing the knife through his heart so that he wouldn't have another chance to lose control of Resurgere. But did he really want to commit suicide?

Sakura would be sad if he died. She loved him, and he loved her too, but he did not believe he deserved to love or to be loved. He had not meant to kiss Sakura, but he was just so happy she was alive he could not help himself. He enjoyed kissing her and longed to taste her sweet lips again, but that would be impossible. Every second he was near her, he put her life in danger. However, it wasn't just Sakura's life he put in danger when he was near; the lives of everyone he held dear were in danger just because of his existence.

Aya tilted his head back and looked up at the sunrise. To think this was the last time he would see a sunrise. He had made his decision. He would kill himself. By doing so, he would cause a few pain and grief, but far less than if he lived. He hoped that unlike the last time he died, Resurgere would not bring him back to life.

So that he would not be distracted, he ripped the glowing white cross from his neck and pocketed it. He was fortunate that no one else was here in the observation deck today. He then traced the sharp end of the knife with his index finger and aimed the point of the knife at his chest, ready to send the blade through, but-

"Aya-kun!" called out a childlike voice. Aya turned his head, and saw that Omi had climbed up onto the top of Tokyo Tower as well.

Omi stepped up to Aya and stanched the knife out of Aya's hand, knowing what he intended to do with it. "Don't kill yourself!" Omi ordered. "You don't have any reason to!"

"Omi…" Aya said softly. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to have another chance to lose control of Resurgere. I almost killed Sakura the last time."

Omi sat down next to Aya. "Don't worry 'bout that," he suggested. "Me and the rest of Weiß will help you regain control of Resurgere."

Aya stretched his arms and laid back. "Omi, I really don't have much of a desire to kill myself," he admitted. "It's just that I don't want to hurt Sakura. But I don't want to leave her either." He paused uneasily before continuing on. "I love her. I've even kissed her a few times, even though I shouldn't," he raised his hand to touch his lips, "not with these lips, the lips of a murderer. I don't deserve her, and she knows that."

Omi laid his head back. "Like I told Yoji-kun, maybe none of us deserve girls like Aoi-chan and Sakura-chan, but there's no harm in wishing," he remembered. "But maybe Sakura-chan's love for you will help you regain control of Resurgere."

Aya's hands went up to the scar around his neck. "No, it can't," he disagreed. "I told you, I almost killed her the last time. It's a wonder she still loves me."

Omi was growing frustrated by the violet-eyed redhead's negativity. "Aya-kun, will you stop whining about that?" he commanded. "You lost control of Resurgere once and almost killed Sakura-chan. So what? You _didn't_ kill her and that's what matters. It doesn't matter what could've happened, but what did happen."

There was a hint of a smile on Aya's lips. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed. "I should just be thankful Sakura's alive."

"So are you coming back to the Kitty in the House?"

"Not yet. I have to go over to Heaven and then check up on my sister." Aya handed all three weapons he was carrying to Omi. "Take these back with you."

"Uh, don't you want to change into a different shirt and do something about that wound on your shoulder?" Omi asked, eyeing the torn collar of Aya's sleeveless sweater and his wounded shoulder.

"I'm fine," Aya reassured stoically. He stood up and left the blue-eyed blond.

Omi also stood up. "Well, looks like my job here is done," he said jokingly, smiling broadly.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"G'morning, Ken," Yoji greeted as he walked past Ken into the kitchen. "Did Omi make the coffee?" he asked as he reached for the coffee pot.

"No, I made it," Ken corrected, wiping away the milk spills that were on the counter.

"Don't want any coffee then," Yoji decided, sitting down at the table. He then noticed the note Omi had left and picked it up. "'Gone to Tokyo Tower to talk to Aya-kun. Omi,'" he read aloud.

"I was wondering where the kid was," Ken commented. "It's not like him to sleep in."

Yoji, however, was no longer listening. He had fallen asleep at the table due to a lack of caffeine. Ken couldn't resist smiling. It was his first smile in over a week.

He went over to the sleeping Yoji and his smile faded away. _Yoji; you, Aya, and me have all been to Heaven at least once,_ Ken remembered. _So how come I'm the only one who can't stand being in the Surface World anymore?_ He let out a heavy sigh. It was hard being the only one who seemed affected by the peaceful atmosphere of Heaven. For a brief instant he felt resentment towards both Aya and Yoji, but quickly pushed that thought from his mind.

Aoi leaned back in the chair and took a sip of her coffee. She looked over at the kitchen sink, which was full of dirty dishes. Her house was becoming a mess. Yet she had no desire to do anything about it. Her only desire now was to be with Yoji.

Why did she love Yoji? He was lazy, perverted, a player, irresponsible, and sometimes wore shirts that did not quite cover his stomach. He was almost the total opposite of Resurgere, who the first person she had ever felt strong feelings towards. But in a really vague sense, Yoji and Resurgere were somewhat alike. On the surface they both seemed normal, but deep inside their hearts lurked painful secrets. Being with Yoji in the restaurant reminded her of her last minutes with Resurgere, and she had accidentally let her memories get out of control. It was because of that the projections had appeared.

Aoi remembered Resurgere so well. She first met him a year after she died and went to Heaven. He was nice to her, but he always seemed sad, almost like something was haunting him.

Sometime after their meeting, maybe ten years, Aoi and Resurgere were teamed up to infiltrate Hell in an attack to finally end the Krieg von Tränen. They both were infused with the Blau Kreuz's power so they could get into Hell. Their attack would have been a success, if Satan had not known they were coming.

To give Aoi a chance to escape, Resurgere had challenged Satan to a duel. Unbeknownst to Resurgere, Aoi hid herself well and watched the battle between the male angel and the Devil. It was then she really thought of Resurgere as the "Kiseki no Hoshi." It seemed as if he was more powerful than Satan!

Resurgere soon noticed that Aoi had not yet gotten out of Hell. He yelled to her to obey his order and forget about him, but that mere distraction gave Satan the chance He needed to behead the powerful angel. As Resurgere's body vanished and his soul went to Limbo, Aoi, overcome with fear, dashed as fast as she could out of Hell, forgetting about everything except for the thought of returning to Heaven. Only afterwards did she realize that it was because of her Resurgere was sent to Limbo.

It was entirely her fault, and hers alone.

She could no longer hold back her tears. It always hurt to think of Resurgere. She knew that he had been reincarnated, but she could not see him in the man known as Fujimiya Aya. In her eyes, Aya was not Resurgere; his body merely hosted the fallen angel's soul. Besides, she had gotten over her silly inflation with Resurgere. She had fallen in love with someone else, and she sincerely loved that person.

She sincerely loved Kudou Yoji, and her one and only desire was to be with him.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya appeared in Subete and enclosed the Weiß Kreuz in his fingers. He again wondered why he could use the cross necklace effortlessly, but now he had a reasonable answer. He was once told that the three Kreuze drew a lot of powers from their users. From what he knew, Resurgere's power was probably limitless. It was because of that Aya could use the Weiß Kreuz without feeling exhausted.

He looked forward and stepped towards the tall blue cross that led to Heaven. Both it and the Weiß Kreuz glowed and Aya felt the rough pulling that seemed to pull him into Heaven.

When Aya appeared in Heaven, though, there was nothing except the blue cross that led to Subete, the platform on which it stood, and the white clouds that looked as if they went on forever. Even God, who always seemed to know when the red-haired florist was coming, was nowhere to be seen.

_Where is everyone?_ Aya asked himself, hopping off the platform.

"They are afraid of you," answered a voice that sounded exactly like Aya's, only a bit more stoic, if such a thing was possible. "You will bring about their destruction."

Aya quickly turned around, and was quite surprised by who he saw. He was staring at himself, but this other "Aya" was dressed in a pale silver, almost white, breastplate that went down to his waist. A large, round ruby was set in the center, surrounded by unusual designs. The pointed shoulder pads curved downward towards his elbows. On his pale wrists were silver gauntlets with one oval amethyst set in each. Powerful dark boots were worn over the smoky-black pants. On his back were beautiful and magnificent angelic wings. Above his head was a golden halo. His long hair that hugged the nape of his neck was a very dark red, and he had no ear-tails; instead, his bangs interfered slightly with his bright amethyst eyes. But, like Aya, this other "Aya" had a ring-like scar around his neck.

"You're…me?" Aya guessed.

"In a way, yes," the angel confirmed. "I sleep within you. When I awaken, we will merge."

"So you're Resurgere?"

"Yes, I am. I temporary froze time so I could talk to you. When I unfreeze time, you will return to Subete."

Nothing was said or done for almost a minute. Finally Resurgere walked up to Aya and picked the Weiß Kreuz up off his reincarnation's chest. "This has been an awkward existence for the both of us. I live on in the form of my power sealed within this cross, but I also live as you. In a way, we are still two separate beings that share the same existence." He released the Weiß Kreuz and turned his back to Aya.

"I am the Kiseki no Hoshi," Resurgere said. "I was given that name because I was the most powerful angel Heaven has ever had, even more powerful than the archangel Michael. Even the demons agreed. But only a few knew how powerful I was. The truth is, I was more powerful than God and Satan combined."

Aya said nothing, for he had been expecting Resurgere to say that.

"God soon realized how powerful I was, and so He desperately tried to get me to be able to control my power," the fallen angel continued on. "I was soon able to control my power. Only later did I learn what that power really meant."

"You learned that you would bring destruction, right?" Aya finished.

Resurgere nodded his head. "I wanted to go to Limbo more than anything else," he confessed. "When Satan sent me, I was happy. Until I learned that He sealed my power inside the Weiß Kreuz." He let out a heavy sigh. "Satan desires nothing more than the end of the world. With my power, He can accomplish that. Everything He has done: possessing humans, subjecting you to normal pain and pain from an angel's power, and now, kidnapping someone you love, it was all done to get you to allow me to awaken."

"It's wrong for me to love Sakura, isn't it?" Aya wondered, fearful of the answer.

Resurgere ignored his reincarnation's question. "Ran, you are the 'balance of good and evil, the one who will be the end,'" he pointed out. "You will bring about the destruction of the world if you are not more careful!" He whirled around, his amethyst eyes filled with rage. "If I can speak to you like this, then you are allowing me to awaken too much!"

Aya's hand balled up into a fist. "I know that!" he yelled, his orchid eyes filled with rage as well. "But to save Sakura, I swore to do anything, even allow you to awaken!"

"And I swore not to be the end of everything! Do not sacrifice the world for love!"

Aya turned his face away from Resurgere's. "Does God know I'm your reincarnation?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Yes, He does," Resurgere replied. "That is why He never told you much. He feared that if you knew too much, I would awaken."

"I see…" Aya said, his eyes becoming cloudy.

A small smile formed on Resurgere's face. "It's difficult, isn't it?" he figured. "Being more powerful than God and Satan combined and you don't know why."

Aya did not respond. His cold eyes were fixed on Resurgere.

Resurgere grew a little uncomfortable. "Well, I think it's time for you to return to Subete," he decided. "Take good care of your girlfriend and your sister, all right?"

"Sure," Aya promised, blushing very slightly.

"Farewell." Resurgere raised his hand and then there was a brilliant flash of light. The next thing Aya knew, he was back in Subete.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Sakura stepped into her house and removed her running shoes after she returned from her morning jog. She slipped on her slippers and headed towards her bedroom. She had wanted to jog longer, but the news reporters would not leave her alone. She hated news reporters. She just wanted some peace and quiet now.

As she walked to her room, her hand went up to her left ear to play with the dangling gold earring that had once belonged to Aya. Before he dropped her off at her house, he had given her his earring. He had told her he no longer needed it and that it would suit her far better.

She opened the door to her room and saw that the window shades were pulled shut. _I thought I opened these,_ she remembered, walking up to the window to pull the shades apart, but the sound of the door suddenly slamming made her halt in fear.

"Have a nice jog?" asked a chilling voice behind Sakura. She quickly whirled around, panicking.

Standing next to the door was Lucifer.

_Wer bin ich?  
Sie sind das Ende._


	17. Das Jüngste Gericht

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen

Kapitel 16: Das Jüngste Gericht  
_Ich bin Weiß. Ich bin ein Mörder.  
Ich bin nur ich. Und ich bin das Ende…_

Sakura took a few steps backwards. "W-What are you doing here?" she asked Lucifer in an uneasy voice.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," Lucifer assured. He removed his sunglasses and sat down on the edge of Sakura's bed. "Sit down. I may be talking for a while."

Sakura did sit down, but on a nearby chair. She didn't trust Lucifer enough to sit next to him on the bed. "So, what did you come here for?" she wondered, her voice slightly calmer.

Lucifer sighed softly. "I am Satan, Lord of Hell, and the Prince of Darkness," he said. "I am the fallen rebel archangel Lucifer. I am completely evil. I do not show remorse for my cruelty. I enjoy inflicting emotional and physical pain on others. But I am evil by nature, not by choice. I am the manifestation of this world's wickedness. However, I am imperfect. I was born from imperfection, but that is not the only reason." He looked up at Sakura, who was tugging at the hem of her shirt nervously. He wanted to reach out and touch her arm, but she wasn't sitting close enough.

"Sakura-chan, I was affected by your desire to save Ran when he killed himself with Resurgere's power," he continued. "You see, when God chose the Virgin Mary to bear His child, I envied Him. So easily He could find someone so pure and kind, while I was struck in Hell ruling over the damned. My interest in Mary was not love; just infatuation if you really need to call it something, so my imperfection remained hidden. But now that I have found someone whom I believe is more worthy, my imperfection is beginning to surface. I try to hide it, but I cannot. Even my demons are starting to notice."

Lucifer stretched his arms and lay back on the bed. "I hated seeing others find love, so I enjoyed hurting or killing lovers," he continued. "So why should I be allowed to love? I shouldn't. But I don't care. I am not jealous of lovers anymore. That is because I have found my Mary."

"And that is-?" Sakura asked, her voice shaky, for she believed she already knew the answer.

Lucifer stood up and gently touched Sakura's face. "What I am trying to say is that I love you," he admitted. "I don't know why I am in love with you; I just know that I have been ever since I first laid eyes on you."

Sakura hastily stood up and backed up to the wall, away from Lucifer. "No, no, you can't love me!" she stated, her heart racing.

Lucifer gripped Sakura's shoulders and leaned nearer to her. "I can give you everything you have ever wanted," he said in a soft and heated voice, taking Sakura's hand into his own. "Become my queen, the mistress of Hell. It'll be just like living in Heaven." He stepped up closer to the young girl and his body crushed against hers. "I may not be God, but I do get everything I want." He tilted Sakura's chin upward and roughly placed his lips over hers.

Sakura had only been kissed once before, by Aya. His kiss had been warm and gentle. Lucifer's was almost the exact opposite. His kiss was forceful and harsh, carrying none of Aya's warmth. Frightened, she pushed Lucifer away from her. "No, don't!" she protested, tears forming in her eyes. "You shouldn't kiss me!"

Lucifer did not like others protesting his actions. Angry, he seized Sakura's neck with both hands and shoved her against the wall. "Do not tell me what to do!" he hissed through gritted teeth. "I told you before, I get everything I want, and right now I want you. I will have you, even if I have to kill you first!" He squeezed Sakura's neck tighter, intending to strangle her to death. She clawed helplessly at the hands around her neck. There was nothing more she could do. She could not even cry out.

Finally, just as Sakura believed she was going to die, Lucifer released her neck and allowed her to slide down the wall to her knees. She massaged her throat as she recovered from the lack of air. Lucifer kneeled down in front of her and cupped her face in his hands.

"Sakura-chan, I am so sorry," he apologized. "I don't mean to hurt you." He sighed. "I really am no more deserving of you than Ran is. But he is evil by choice, whereas I am evil by nature. So maybe I am slightly more deserving." He kissed Sakura again, but his time his kiss was gentler and more passionate. Sakura did nothing to accept or protest this second kiss.

Lucifer pulled his lips away from Sakura's. "I hope I will see you again," he prayed. "Farewell." His voice sounded sad and regretful, but it carried hints of hope. He vanished out of the bedroom, leaving no trance that he was ever there, except for a sorrowful girl.

Sakura slowly raised her hand to touch her lips. She felt so unfaithful. She scrubbed her lips violently as tears ran uncontrollably down her cheeks.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Unbeknownst to Sakura, however, Kage stood outside of her window, on the balcony. He had seen everything from Lucifer's forced kiss to his attempted strangulation of Sakura, but he heard only bits and pieces of their conversation. That didn't matter to the black-haired crime boss, though. The only thing that mattered was that Lucifer had broken his promise to Kage.

Kage had seen this coming. He knew that Lucifer was more interested in Sakura than Aya; there was even the chance Lucifer wasn't interested in the redhead at all and was only using him as an excuse to get close to the girl. Kage always had noticed the desire in his boss's face whenever he looked at Sakura.

The crime boss cursed himself for not protecting Sakura as well as he could have. _Sakura, I vow from this moment on I will do whatever I can to protect you from Lucifer-sama,_ he promised. _I don't care what my boss does to me as long as he doesn't even look at you with lust in his eyes ever again. _He touched the scar that ran down his right arm; he had many such scars over his body now, permanent reminders of Lucifer's sadistic torture. _Sakura, you don't have to worry anymore. I'll protect you, and I'm sure Fujimiya will do the same._ He smiled softly as he looked up at the sunrise, thankful he could actually do something worthwhile with his life now.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Here you go," Ken said, handing a dozen sunflowers wrapped in a bouquet to the high school girl. "That'll be ¥2,000."

"Thank you," the girl said, paying the brown-haired florist. She took her flowers and left the shop.

Ken placed the money in the cash register, humming happily to himself. He leaned on the counter. In his eyes, today was a perfect day. The weather was nice, Yoji was actually working (and doing a good job), Aya was fine (although Omi did mention his suicide attempt), and the cuts on his arms were almost completely gone.

In fact, he had not cut himself in a while, not since Omi confronted him about that back when Aya was being hospitalized. For no reason whatsoever, he decided to close his dull green eyes, thinking it would do no harm. That turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes he ever made.

The second Ken closed his eyes, a disturbing vision materialized in his mind. He saw a darkened wasteland, littered with the ruins of once-tall buildings. Dead bodies were scattered everywhere. In the far distance stood a solitary figure wearing a long trench coat and holding a bloodstained katana. The figure turned his head, and all Ken could remember after that were the cold violet eyes that seemed to pierce into his soul.

_Wha…what was that?_ Ken wondered when he snapped back into reality. _That man…was he Aya?_ He was suddenly reminded of the painful promise he was forced to make to Aya. If that man in the vision was truly Aya, then would Ken really be forced to kill him?

"Hey Ken, you aren't being paid to daydream!" Yoji snapped at Ken.

"Oh, sorry!" Ken apologized. He returned to serving the customers. He tried not to let his thoughts wander to that promise again.

So, for a while, work was normal. Only until Yoji took a long, hard look at the white roses did Ken's "not-so-perfect day" turn even worse.

White roses were Aoi's favorites. They were the first flowers Yoji brought for her. So nicely they suited her at the time. So much nicer they suited her now.

At this moment, the blond playboy wanted nothing more than to forget about Aoi. He wanted to destroy anything that reminded him of that certain angel. He reached out for the white roses and began violently tearing them apart. He would rip apart all the white roses. He hated them now.

"Yoji-kun, what are you doing?" Omi exclaimed, trying to restrain Yoji. But his efforts were in vain, as the older blond had successfully destroyed all the white roses, even those that had not yet bloomed.

Ignoring Omi, Yoji stomped on the white petals and tried to grind them down to nothing. However, he was unsuccessful at that. In frustration, he looked down at his bleeding hands, cut because of the roses' thorny stems.

"Yoji-kun…" Omi said softly.

The pain in Omi's voice pierced Yoji's heart like a rusty knife. Unable to bear the hurt in Omi's blue eyes, Yoji left the main section of the flower shop to go up to his room.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya stepped into his sister's hospital room. She was still in her coma, but he had been expecting that. However, it wasn't always that way. Back before he joined Kritiker, he would come visit his sister in hopes that by some miracle, she would wake up. But those hopes died a long time ago. Now he visited his sister for the sole reason of making sure she was being treated properly.

Aya went over to the bed and laid his hand on his sister's cold forehead. "Oh Aya, I have so much to tell you," he began. "Did you know I'm the reincarnation of a powerful angel named Resurgere? Of course, that's really nothing to be proud of… Anyway, I've also gotten a girlfriend, just like you said I needed to. Her name is Tomoe Sakura, and she's very kind and pretty." He kneeled down at his sister's bedside and clutched her hand. "Wake up soon, please. If you don't, I'll never get finished telling you about all that's happened…"

_…help…me…_ pleaded a voice inside Aya's head. _They're coming back for my soul!_

"Who are you?" Aya screamed, holding his head in his hands. "Get out of my head!"

"That is your sister you are yelling at," informed a male voice behind Aya.

aya turned around. Standing in the doorway was a tall man with long, dark hair, dressed in a clean white suit. "God?" Aya guessed.

"The name for my human form is Jehovah Salvare," the man corrected. He went over to the hospital bed and touched the comatose girl's forehead. "Your sister is dying. Demons have poisoned her soul."

"That was done to get Resurgere to awaken, wasn't it?" Aya figured.

Jehovah nodded grimly. "There is nothing I can do about it," he added. "However, Resurgere has been trying to neutralize the poison for some time now." He looked up at Aya. "If you allow your sister to wear the Weiß Kreuz, it will aid Resurgere greatly. But you cannot lose control of him if you do give the necklace to her."

Aya almost smiled. He removed the Weiß Kreuz and tied it around his sister's neck. He then tucked the cross under her hospital gown so that the nurses and doctors wouldn't see it. "We must really be close siblings, if I can hear Aya's thoughts," he commented.

"Actually, Resurgere loves your sister very much. He wants to see her safe and happy, so he linked you telepathically to her."

"Hmm…maybe Resurgere isn't so worthless after all…"

Jehovah smiled, amused at Aya's comment. "Aya, if you are worried that you will destroy the world, please relax," he requested. "I will personally make sure that you are not the end."

Aya let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," he replied. "I should be leaving now. Good-bye." He touched his sister's hand before exiting the room.

Jehovah glanced down at the unconscious girl and lightly stroked her bangs. "I promised your brother that he would not cause our destruction," he reminded her. "I must keep that promise, even if I myself must be this world's end. But I wonder, is it really time for the Last Judgment…?"

The Kitty in the House was now closed for the day. After Omi was finished cleaning up the mess of white roses caused by Yoji's destructive actions, he flopped down on a nearby chair. "This is just great…" he thought sarcastically. "Aya-kun's suicidal, Ken-kun's all depressed about whatever, and Yoji-kun's suddenly a violent maniac. What else could go wrong today?"

"Sorry about being depressed," Ken apologized as he rolled the grates down over the windows.

Omi almost jumped out of his chair, for he had not meant for anyone to hear him. "Oh, Ken-kun!" he exclaimed. "I didn't know you were over there!"

"Don't worry 'bout it," the soccer player requested, a weak smile on his lips.

"So, uh…" Omi hesitated. He knew this was a touchy question for Ken, but he asked anyway. "Why are you so depressed right now?" he dared to ask.

Surprisingly, Ken did not get mad, but it was still obvious he was uncomfortable with the question. "Well, earlier today, I think I saw a vision of the end of the world," he answered.

"The end of the world?" Omi repeated, shocked. "Are you sure?"

"I don't know…" Ken admitted. "I don't even remember much of the vision. All I remember is a solitary figure that looked a lot like…" He trailed off. "A lot like…Aya," he finally finished.

Omi's blue eyes widened in disbelief. He could not believe what the brunette had just told him. "So…will Aya-kun really cause our destruction?" he wondered.

"I don't know," Ken said again. "We may have to kill him if that's true." He clapped his hands over his mouth, realizing what he just said.

Omi quickly stood up and grabbed the collar of Ken's shirt. "You're not serious!" he begged of the older man. "'We can't kill Aya-kun. There must be another way!"

"I didn't say we _had_ to kill Aya," Ken corrected. "I just hope it won't come to that. But, if we have no choice, we'll have to-"

"No, don't say it!" Omi pleaded, tears coming out of his eyes. "I don't care if the world is destroyed because of Aya-kun. You are not to kill him, no matter what happens. Promise me!"

"I-" Ken hesitated. He was not sure if he would be able to keep that promise. After all, he had promised Aya to do the exact opposite if the need arose. Finally he pried Omi's fingers from the collar of his shirt. "I can't promise that," he confessed. "I'm sorry." He left the main section of the flower shop.

Omi fell to his knees, devastated. "Ken-kun, how can you be so cruel?" he whispered, trying to wipe away his tears with his arm. "I just don't want anyone else to die. I've already lost Ouka and Uncle Shuichi, so how many more do I have to lose?"

He found that he could not hold his tears back. Instead, he allowed his tears to run down his face as he tried to wipe them away. He sobbed quietly, so that no one would hear him.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Kodoku lit his cigarette and stuck it in his mouth. He was sitting in a dark corner somewhere in Pandemonium. He was really supposed to be helping a group of demons hack into Heaven's main system, but he loathed working with others. His nickname was "Lonely Miracle," after all.

He removed his cigarette from his mouth and blew out a puff of smoke. Not a day went by when he didn't think of his lies to Yumeki. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw himself stealing the angel's power. It was impossible for him not to think of that. The sick thing was, he believed he actually enjoyed stealing Yumeki's power.

Kodoku crushed his cigarette between his thumb and index finger. It wouldn't surprise him if Yumeki hated him now. After all, he did blame himself somewhat. But in his eyes, it was not entirely his fault. His soul was stolen by a demon and given to Satan, so he had no free will of his own.

The lonely miracle remembered so clearly how and why his soul was stolen. It was all because of a certain person the Devil was interested in. Kodoku hated this person, and would go as far as disobey orders to make this person suffer.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

_"Ken, I want you to promise me something. No matter what happens, if I ever start to even slightly lose control of Resurgere, I want you to kill me."_

Ken could not shut Aya's words out of his mind. He hated thinking of that promise and wished to forget it, but that was kind of hard when just about every little thing reminded him of it.

He traced the sharp ends of his bugnuks' blades. He was up in his room, sitting cross-legged on his bed. His bugnuks were laid across his lap. _I don't want to kill Aya,_ he told himself. _But what if I don't have a choice?_

Ken looked up at the ceiling. "I feel so insecure, so lost," he recited to himself. "I feel so different. Tell me, what must I do now? I need to know, if I am to stay."

He forced a weak smile as he remembered the rest of Aya's song. _It suits him so well, _the brunette thought. _But it also suits me right now._

He slipped on one of his bugnuks and unsheathed the blades. _I shouldn't cut myself,_ he said to himself. _But I'm sick of this pain. I need to ease it somehow, even if I have to cause myself more pain._ He lightly cut his left arm with the four blades. "Ow…" he moaned as a few drops of blood oozed from the cuts and dripped onto the bed.

"I hate pain," Ken mumbled, caressing the wounded arm. "But I guess I have to welcome it if I want to survive."

"Or why don't you just kill those who cause you pain?" suggested a familiar voice behind Ken.

"Kase?" Ken exclaimed, turning his head.

The demon known as Kase Kouichiro laughed coldly. He was sitting on the edge of Ken's bed, his spirit form barely visible. "I'm surprised you remember me," he confessed. "You seemed to have forgotten me for that sulky Aya. So why don't you kill those who cause you pain? Is it because you can't? Or won't?"

"I already have," Ken answered coolly.

"_I_ caused you pain?" Kase reworded, outraged. "You were the one who caused _me_ pain! You always ruined my life whenever possible! But that wasn't enough for you, was it? You even had to kill me and send me to Hell. If I could, I would wrap my hands around your neck and strangle you."

"Then why didn't you when you were alive?" Ken asked, half-mockingly.

Kase shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't matter," he said. "I wasn't ordered to kill you. I was ordered to take over your body when you got too emotionally drawn into yourself." His spirit body floated off the bed and condensed itself so it could fly into Ken's mouth.

"No, get out of my head!" Ken screamed, holding his head in his hands. "I won't let you possess me!"

"You don't have a choice," Kase's voice inside Ken's head pointed out. "Your will is too weak for you to be able to fight back."

Soon, holding back Kase grew to be too much for Ken. He passed out and fell off his bed, but Kase was still inside his head, waiting to take control of him the second he woke up.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

If there was one thing in this world Yumeki hated, it was liars. Even Kodoku and Aoi, the two who were closest to him, had lied to him. But all Aoi did was trick him so that she could head back to the Surface World. Kodoku was the one who had actually hurt and betrayed him.

Yumeki ran his fingers through his jet-black hair. He had no idea how he should have felt about Kodoku's betrayal. He didn't want to hate the demon; after all, Kodoku was one of the few friends he ever had in both life and the afterlife and by far the closest, but Yumeki didn't believe he considered Kodoku a friend anymore. _Guess his friendship really didn't mean much to me,_ Yumeki figured. He again wondered why he was ever accepted into Heaven in the first place.

But because God had accepted him, he swore to be the most faithful angel that ever set foot in Heaven. He did not always agree with God, but he stuck by the Almighty anyway. Yumeki especially did not agree with God's decision right now, but he refused to allow his loyalty to waver. However, that was quite difficult for the powerful angel. He could not understand why God would just suddenly make such a crucial choice. After all, this decision would be the beginning of a new era with the sacrifice of the Surface World; the Last Judgment.

God stood on the platform that held the tall blue cross connected to Subete as all the angels stood in front of the platform. "As many of you may already know, I am initializing the Last Judgment," the Almighty began. "It will be the beginning of a new era. This world has become corrupted by the Krieg von Tränen. We must end this war now if we do not want to see humans become evil by nature. We will sacrifice the Surface World as well as ourselves to begin this new era. Once the Last Judgment has passed, all humans, angels, and even demons shall be reborn into a world that has not been corrupted by a tearful war, given a new chance at life. It will be then that blood is no longer shed in paradise. The archangels will lead the rest of you into the Last Judgment."

The archangels. The four-winged angels who had remained loyal to God when the rebel archangel Lucifer led the other angels in a revolt against the Almighty. They had been the ones to drive Lucifer out of Heaven when God condemned him to an eternity of ruling over the damned in Hell. Their loyalty rivaled that of even Yumeki's, but the lower angel felt he could take on all the archangels and still defeat them.

God spread out His arms and His three pairs of angelic wings as the Blau Kreuz around His neck glowed warmly. "Barriers that separate the three worlds that cannot coexist," He chanted, closing His holy blue eyes, "I command you to open before me so as to allow judgment to be passed."

The four archangels _-- _Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel _--_ each appeared in one of the four corners of Heaven, Michael in the south, Raphael in the east, Gabriel in the west, and Uriel in the north. White light shot up from the archangels as the clouds beneath the other angels parted, revealing very clearly the Surface World. God was the first to descend to Earth, followed by the four archangels, and finally the angels followed, led by the most powerful angel of all, Mayu Yumeki. The day of judgment that humanity could not avoid was now upon them.

_Ende von Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen  
Fortgefahren im Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit_


	18. Omis Tränen

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit

Kapitel 17: Omis Tränen  
_/Everyone that I love/  
/Everyone who loves me/  
/They all leave me/  
/I am all alone now/_

Three people stood within the eternal darkness. They were meeting again after almost six months of separation. Omi was so happy to see his half-sister and uncle once more, but he found that he didn't know what to say.

"How have you been?" Ouka asked Omi, breaking the awkward silence.

"Fine, I guess," the blond florist answered. "What about you two?"

"We've also been doing well," Shuichi, who stood next to Ouka, replied.

Omi smiled broadly. "I really miss you," he confessed. "Isn't there some way we could visit each other?" Tears were beginning to form in his eyes as he gazed down at his feet. "Well actually, I've been meaning to ask that for a while now…"

He then heard several gunshots. Worried, he quickly looked up at his half-sister and his uncle. At that moment, his fears were confirmed. Shuichi clutched his bleeding stomach as he stumbled against Omi.

"No, Uncle Shuichi!" Omi protested, wrapping his arms around his uncle. "Ouka, are you all-"

He didn't have to finish. Ouka's facial expression answered his question. She too fell against him. She had been shot in the back, for it was bleeding heavily.

"No, not you too…" Omi said, pulling Ouka closer to him. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He held the bodies of his half-sister and his uncle close to his own, not caring if he got blood all over himself. "No, don't leave me again…please, don't die!"

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Please, don't die!" Omi screamed as he woke up from a restless sleep. It took him several seconds to realize that he had only been having a nightmare.

He rolled over onto his left side. He had that nightmare before, but it was occurring more often now. He was afraid to sleep now. But he wouldn't have gotten back to sleep anyway. It was another side effect of the nightmare.

So he just continued to lay awake, thinking of Ouka and Shuichi and wishing he had the courage to ask God if he could see them again.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"G'morning everyone!" Yoji greeted as he walked into the kitchen.

"It's twelve o'clock," Aya corrected without looking up from the newspaper.

"Oh," the blond replied, sitting down at the table. He then noticed that the kitchen was short one person. "So where's Ken?"

"He left before any of us woke up," Omi answered, handing Yoji his coffee. "I guess he had somewhere to go."

Yoji took his coffee from Omi and took a sip of it. "That guy's been acting so weird lately…" he noticed.

Omi said nothing in reply, even though he agreed with the playboy. Ken had been acting weird for a while now, ever since he and Aya had stumbled onto the gateway to Heaven. Afterwards, unexplained cuts had begun to appear on his arms. It was only a little over a week ago that Omi had confirmed that Ken was cutting himself. The young blond desperately wanted to help the brunette, but since Ken was so unwilling to accept help, there was nothing Omi could do.

Despondent, Omi looked out the window. The sky had grown so dark, it was almost unnatural, but it suited his depressed mood perfectly. "Wonder if it's gonna rain today?" he mumbled, intending for no one else to hear him.

"Those don't look like storm clouds," Yoji disagreed. "Hey, what are those? Shooting stars?"

Bright lights appeared in the black sky without any warning. They instantly caught Omi's and Aya's attention as well as Yoji's. The white lights began falling to Earth like rain, making the sky look like a weeping willow tree. They were warm, but a bit apocalyptic, if lights could be described like that. Despite that, they softly illuminated the dark sky.

"The Last Judgment…" Aya breathed in a monotone voice.

"The what?!" Yoji yelled in disbelief.

"Get down and cover your head!" the redhead ordered in a firm voice. He and the other two knight hunters threw themselves to the floor and covered their heads as best they could. Then there was a strong gust of wind that blew out all the windows of the Kitty in the House, as well as a few walls. A flash of light streaked far above, and the sky seemed to crack open, revealing a crimson and cloud-like mist that was being pulled towards something. Still, it looked as if it was frozen in time. In the far distance, white balls of light were sucked up into the broken sky.

"So this is the Last Judgment?" Yoji wondered, looking up and brushing some shattered glass out of his hair.

"Yes," Aya confirmed, getting back on his feet. "The world is being destroyed."

"Magnificent, isn't it?" asked a familiar male voice.

"Ken-kun?" Omi exclaimed, lifting his head up.

Standing in what used to be the entrance to the flower shop were the demon Kodoku and Ken, dressed in his assassin outfit. The irises of his eyes were a deadly and cruel red.

"Oh crap…" Yoji cursed quietly.

"Who's the other guy?" Omi whispered to Aya.

"General Kiseki Kodoku," the swordsman assassin whispered back. "His soul was stolen by a demon a few weeks ago. C'mon, we'd best retreat for now."

Uncertain if Yoji had heard Aya, Omi just grabbed the older blond's arm and followed the redhead to the back exit. Yoji caught on and he too moved swiftly.

"Get back here!" Kodoku commanded, collecting dark energy in his hands. He fired it at the three members of Weiß, but his aim was slightly off. His fired energy hit one of the walls and let loose a lot of smoke, obscuring his and the demon-possessed Ken's views of the others.

"Where'd they go?" the demon asked aloud, quickly looking around while Ken just stood there calmly.

"Looking for us?" mocked a suave voice above the other two, causing them to look up. Standing on the roof of the ruined shop were Aya, Omi, and Yoji, each dressed in their own assassin outfit.

"So you all finally come out to play," Ken said in a voice that was not his own, unsheathing the blades of his bugnuks.

Kodoku flew upward towards Aya, grabbed the red-haired knight hunter's shoulders, and threw him away from the other two members of Weiß. The demon then followed.

"Aya-kun!" Omi yelled, jumping off the roof with Yoji. They were about to rush to where Aya had fallen, but Ken stepped in front of them.

"No, your fight is with me," the brunette informed them, grinning evilly.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Satan looked down at the destruction from a tall building that still happened to be standing. He had caused most of it in disregard for God's wish for the world to end peacefully. However, the Devil was still not pleased. If God was the one to destroy the world, how would that bring about the pain of loss on Him?

Satan sighed and enclosed the Rot Kreuz in His fingers. It was strange that He, the Devil, would ever wear a cross necklace, but crosses didn't just symbolize the Christian religion. They also represented burdens that everyone was forced to bear. And He did have quite a burden to bear: the burden of loving someone.

He detested that feeling more than His own nature. That feeling was making Him forget about what He really wanted. Although He wondered if sometimes it was Sakura He wanted more than anything and if He should just forsake His other wishes.

It did make some sort of sense. After all, He was determined to capture Sakura's heart and make her all His, body and soul. But would that really be worth giving up the one chance He had to change His nature of being completely evil?

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Sakura pushed the ceiling beam off of her. Her house had been totally destroyed when the powerful gust of wind came, but she was not heavily injured. Maybe only a bleeding cut or two.

But for a brief instant, she almost wished she _had_ been killed as she gazed upward at the dark broken sky. She knew what it meant, as did probably every other human. The world was ending. They would all be dead soon.

She then suddenly felt a strong hand grab her by the arm. "What the-" she stopped herself when she saw that it was Kage who had seized her arm.

"C'mon, I'm taking you with me," Kage stated as he led Sakura to his black car. He got into the driver's seat as she got into the passenger's seat.

"Kage-kun, what are you doing?" the young girl asked as the dark-haired crime boss started up his car.

"Lucifer-sama ordered me to kidnap you again," Kage answered. "I think he wants to spend his final moments in this world with you. But I'm not taking you to him. I'm taking you _away_ from him. I-I'm not going to let him hurt you anymore. Besides, there is something I would like to show you before we die. Don't worry, you can trust me. I won't hurt you like Lucifer-sama does."

Sakura was not scared; she did trust Kage. But there was such sadness in his pale gray eyes that she couldn't help but wonder what he wanted.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya rolled away from Kodoku's energy blast. He then glanced to over where Yoji and Omi were battling with Ken. Kodoku, seeing that Aya's attention was diverted, kicked the redhead across the face, into a pile of debris. Aya quickly recovered and charged for Kodoku with his katana held in front of him. The demon prepared to deflect the katana, but Aya's actual plan was to send his knee into Kodoku's stomach. When he did so, the lonely miracle was pushed back hard into a wall.

"Simple human attacks can't overcome a demon!" Kodoku yelled. Flapping his large demonic wings, he flew into the air and started collecting dark energy in both hands before firing it at Aya. The stoic assassin dodged the energy blast and threw his katana at Kodoku. The demon avoided being struck by the katana by ducking down closer to the ground. Aya had predicted this, so he caught his katana and rammed the hilt into the back of Kodoku's neck, thus slamming the demon down to the ground.

"I'll kill you!" Kodoku promised, blinded by his rage. He got back on his feet and started throwing a flurry of punches and kicks at Aya.

Aya, although he had a weapon, couldn't use it because he was too occupied with evading Kodoku's attacks. Finally, the demon kicked the katana out of Aya's hand and seized him by the collar of his sweater. Kodoku tossed Aya at a wall and then raised his arm, which began glowing. From the wall Aya had been thrown against emerged three white energy ribbons that wrapped around his entire neck and both wrists. He was down on his knees, but his arms were spread out as if he was being crucified.

"Pathetic," Kodoku insulted Aya, stepping up to him. "And you're supposed to be the most powerful angel Heaven ever had? Well, it's not like that really matters to me. I just want to see you suffer."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Yoji seized Ken's arm and threw him at the ground, but he immediately got back on his feet and went for Yoji again. The blond swayed to one side and tripped the brunette, but once more Ken recovered quickly. No matter what Yoji and Omi did, the demon-possessed brunette just would not tire out.

Omi tossed a few darts at Ken. He evaded them all, and he then jabbed his left bugnuk at Omi's face, thus cutting Omi's cheek. Omi jumped backwards and charged for Ken, ready to stab a dart into his neck. However, Ken grabbed Omi by his throat and lifted him off his feet.

Omi's hands instantly went up to the hand that was crushing his throat. He was still holding the dart, but he was hesitant to use it. Even though Ken was being controlled by a demon, he didn't want to be the one to shed his friend's blood. As Ken wrapped his other hand around Omi's neck and squeezed tighter, Omi screamed to himself that if he didn't do anything, he would be killed. The switches for the blades of the bugnuks had begun to dig into the soft flesh of his throat as he continued to make horrible choking noises.

To save Omi, Yoji shot a wire that curled around Ken's neck. Ken dropped the Omi and severed the garrote wire binding him. After he did so, he swung his arm horizontally, slashing Omi's right side. Omi then fell to his knees, clutching his bleeding side.

"Omi!" Yoji yelled. He sent his foot into Ken's stomach to get him away from Omi. Ken threw both his bugnuk-clothed hands at Yoji, but Yoji caught Ken's arms and shoved him to the ground. Yoji then prepared to do an elbow-drop on Ken, but the possessed soccer player seized Yoji's throat and shoved him to the ground.

"Time for you to die," Ken said, pointing the middle blades of his left bugnuk at the airways in Yoji's throat. "Since it's the end of the world, you'll be going straight to Limbo once I kill you."

Yoji gritted his teeth. He could try to attack, but the blades could be stabbed into his throat faster than he could attack Ken.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Kodoku picked up Aya's katana and pointed it under the redhead's chin. "How do you think it feels to be in Hell?" he asked. "Better yet, how do you think it feels knowing that the only reason that you're in Hell is because some demon decided to steal your soul since he failed at capturing some guy Satan was interested in?"

"What are you getting at?" Aya replied coldly.

Kodoku smacked Aya so hard across the face with his free hand that the redhead's neck almost broke. "It's your fault I'm in Hell!" the demon screamed. "If only you hadn't fought back, that demon wouldn't have stolen my soul. You have no idea what I've suffered through. I want it all to end so badly that I'll welcome both the Last Judgment and Resurgere's awakening."

Kodoku moved the katana to lightly cut in a half circle underneath Aya's right ear. The stinging pain of the cut annoyed the assassin greatly.

"I will kill your family, your friends, and anyone else who is close to you," Kodoku promised. "I will even disobey orders and kill that Tomoe girl. Anything to make you suffer." He turned his head to look where Ken was battling with Yoji and Omi. "It looks like Kase is doing a good job of getting rid of your two friends. Once they're dead, we'll just steal Hidaka's soul."

Aya tried to break free of the energy ribbons binding him, but they just retaliated by growing tighter. He kept trying, though. He could not stand watching the demon-possessed Ken win. Omi was down on his knees and his side was bleeding, and Ken had his bugnuks aimed at Yoji's throat.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

_"Sayonara,"_ Ken said as he pulled back his arm in preparation to thrust the bugnuk's blades through Yoji's throat.

"Yoji-kun!" Omi screamed, back on his feet. He tossed two darts that went into Ken's back. The possessed assassin, unaffected by the darts, stood up and turned around to face Omi, unintentionally breaking Yoji's left ribs.

"You insolent brat," Ken muttered. He ran towards Omi and slashed at the younger blond. Omi dodged Ken's attack and then with incredible flexibility, threw his ankles around Ken's neck and brought him to the ground.

"C'mon, leave his body…" Omi pleaded as he squeezed Ken's neck tighter.

For some odd reason, Ken was not using his bugnuks to cut Omi's ankles to ribbons. "Omi…" he said in a choked voice. "It's all right. Kase isn't possessing me anymore."

Omi, overcome with joy and without thinking, removed his ankles from Ken's neck and kneeled beside his head. "Ken-kun," Omi said softly, laying his hand on Ken's forehead.

Yoji, however, saw the cruel smirk on Ken's face and the glowing, blood-red eyes. "Omi, get away from him!" he warned. "Ken's still being possessed!"

But it was too late. Ken had already seized Omi by the collar of his jacket. "Come now, time to die," he ordered, stabbing the blades of his bugnuk into Omi's stomach. He then threw Omi's body away from him as blood flew from the open wounds.

"Omi!" Yoji yelled, very worried. He wanted to help Omi, but his broken ribs limited his movement.

"Yoji-kun…" Omi whispered, tears beginning to run down his face. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help to you." He knew he was dying, but he also realized that nothing could be done about his fatal wounds. "Ouka…Uncle Shuichi…" he mumbled, thinking of the only two members of his family that had actually loved him. He then coughed up quite a bit of blood before his tearful blue eyes closed. His lifeless face appeared so peaceful it was hard to believe that he had just been killed by a possessed friend.

Yoji's jade green eyes widened in disbelief. "Omi!" he cried out, his voice becoming hoarse. "C'mon kid, wake up…this isn't funny… Please, open your eyes…"

"He's dead," Ken informed him. "Just accept that."

"No…" The blond playboy refused to accept that. "OMI!"

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"OMI!" Aya heard Yoji scream. The reincarnated red-haired angel could clearly see that Omi was dead. Ken was about to go for Yoji.

"Well, Kudou's about to join that Tsukiyono kid," Kodoku commented, a sadistic grin on his face. "Why don't you have Resurgere help you save him?"

"No, I will save him with my own strength!" Aya promised. He again tried to break free of Kodoku's energy ribbons.

"You're wasting your time," Kodoku said. "You can't break free of my ribbons."

"Never underestimate me!" Finally Aya broke his right wrist free of the binding ribbon. He then used the freed hand to tear off the ribbons around his neck and other wrist. Once he did that, he pried his katana from Kodoku's fingers and ran for Ken. The demon didn't even have a chance to struggle.

"You won't kill him!" Aya vowed as he slashed across Ken's back before Ken had a chance to react. A black mist escaped from Ken's body as he fell limply to the ground. His wound instantly closed up.

"Yoji, are you all right?" Aya asked, kneeling over Yoji.

"No…Omi…" Yoji said sorrowfully, tears coming out of his eyes. "Why did you have to die?"

"Stop whining," Kodoku ordered, stepping up to the two knight hunters. "The brat was going to die soon anyway."

"You…" Yoji whispered harshly. He tried to stand up, but the pain of his broken ribs forced him to go back down to his knees.

"Don't try to fight me," Kodoku suggested. "You wouldn't be able to win."

"But I would," Aya announced, getting back on his feet. He slashed at Kodoku, but the demon evaded the katana by flying up into the air.

"Maybe you're right," Kodoku figured. "But I don't want to go to Limbo yet." He flew up higher and out of sight.

"Coward!" Yoji insulted, slowly getting into a standing position. He was clenching his fists so hard that his nails had actually begun digging into the skin. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks.

He went over to Omi's dead body and, despite the pain, kneeled over. "Say 'hi' to Asuka and Persia for me, will ya?" he requested, laying his hand on Omi's tear-soaked and bloodstained, cold face. He then cradled the Omi's head against his chest and sobbed quietly into the dead boy's dirty-blond hair.

_Ouka, Uncle Shuichi, I missed you two so much. I wish I had the courage to ask God if I could see you again. But He's so grand and mighty, I didn't want to burden Him with my petty problems. But I did have another family: Aya-kun, Ken-kun, and Yoji-kun. And of course, who can forget about all those fangirls? I really wished we could have gotten to know each other better, but with my friends in Weiß, I was never lonely. We will soon have a new chance at life, and maybe then we'll be happy with no regrets._


	19. Yojis Engel

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit

Kapitel 18: Yojis Engel  
_/I want to be with you forever/  
/In my reality, in my dreams/  
/We'll be together/  
/You don't need to cry anymore/_

_"Aoi, stop crying! This is all your fault!"_

_"Shiroi, quit blaming her. She's only a child. How could she be responsible for our bankruptcy?"_

_"It's her fault because you spend so much money on her, Toki!"_

_"Mama, why are you being so mean to me and Papa?"_

_"Aoi-chan, she's just under a lot of stress. She really doesn't mean what she's saying."_

_"How would you know that?! I _do_ mean everything I've said!"_

_"Shiroi, shut up! I'm sick of all your complaining. How do you expect Aoi-chan to grow up to be a decent woman if you keep acting like that?"_

Aoi covered her ears as if that was going to shut out the voices in her head. She hated being reminded of her past more than anything. It was because of her past she had changed her name.

She gazed upward at the dark, broken sky. As an angel, she was supposed to be putting humans into rapture so that their souls would go to Limbo peacefully. They would then be reborn into the new world. Demons, however, wanted to make the humans' deaths long and painful before they would be able to go to Limbo.

But Aoi did not care about what she was _supposed_ to do. She was only interested in one thing: spending her final moments with Yoji.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya tied the two wooden broads together to form a cross that would go at the head of Omi's grave. He picked up one of Omi's dart and etched Omi's name into the cross.

The traditional Japanese way of dealing with dead bodies was cremation, but since the remaining members of Weiß had nothing to cremate Omi's body with, they had decided to bury him.

Ken was the one who had buried Omi. Yoji wanted to, but Ken would not let him because of his broken ribs. The brunette also felt guilty for allowing Kase to possess him. He blamed himself for Omi's death, and Yoji blamed him as well. As Ken was regaining consciousness, Yoji had tried to strangle him, screaming it was his fault that Omi was killed. Aya had saved Ken, telling Yoji that it wasn't because of the Ken Omi was dead, but Ken could see that Aya did not believe this own words.

Ken stabbed the shovel into the ground and leaned against it. _It's my fault Omi's dead, and Aya and Yoji know that,_ he told himself. _If only I wasn't so weak…_

Aya stepped over to the head of Omi's grave and struck the cross down. He noticed that Ken was still beating himself up over Omi's death. "Ken, when I was about to kill myself, Omi told me something," he began. "He said that it didn't matter what could've happened, but what did happen. We have no real way of knowing what could've happened. Even if you could have fought against that demon's control, Omi may still have gotten killed."

"Maybe," Ken figured, sighing. "But I've been possessed by a demon twice already! It's too risky for me to stay with you guys. I have to leave now. I don't have a choice." He turned around and was about to leave, but Yoji stopped him.

"Hey, wait Ken," Yoji requested. "I'm sorry about trying to kill you. So…don't kill yourself, all right? I don't think I can handle another death."

Ken remained silent, but Yoji caught a small glimpse of a smile. The Ken looked forward and left Omi's grave.

"Hey Aya, I want to be alone right now, so could you-?" Yoji started, but he was interrupted.

"I have to check up on my sister," Aya interrupted. "Don't hurt yourself." He too left Omi's grave and Yoji.

Yoji limped over to Omi's grave, but he did not kneel down, for it had grown too painful for him to do so. Aya and Ken had tried to bandage his broken ribs, but there isn't much one can do with those. But so that he could move better, Yoji was now using a long, thin pipe as a walking stick.

"You wouldn't have forgiven me if I had killed Ken, would you?" Yoji asked aloud. "He did seem to be closest to you."

Yoji let out a heavy sigh. He did feel guilty about nearly strangling Ken. Omi's death had made him blind and rash. Besides, it was not Ken's fault that Omi was dead. If it was anyone's fault, Yoji believed, it was his own fault for being so reckless and not protecting Omi as well as he could have.

But it wasn't as if Omi couldn't take care of himself. Truth be told, he was the one who had to bail Yoji out of trouble most of the time. However, Yoji could never do the same for Omi, and that was why Omi was dead now. Yoji sighed again and gazed upward at the dark, broken sky.

"Yoji?" asked a soft voice behind the blond assassin.

"Omi?" Yoji guessed hopefully, turning around as fast as he was able to. However, it was not Omi who was behind him.

It was Aoi.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Jehovah wandered through the ruins of the city Kyoto. He was in his human form just so that humans didn't immediately know who he really was and then start annoying him by repenting for their sins and begging not to go to Hell. He had no intention of sending anyone to Hell. He just wanted to give everyone a chance to begin life anew.

Soon he grew tried of condensing his power. He had to do that so his power wouldn't overwhelm his human body. He decided to transform into his true form as God. He was very thankful that no humans were around at this moment.

As He continued walking, He found Himself gently touching the Blau Kreuz hanging from His neck. He had not wanted to bring upon the Last Judgment, but the Almighty did promise Aya that he would not be the end. And God would never break a promise, no matter what it was. But He still felt strange, an emotion He had not experienced for the longest time.

_I wonder… Am I really the right person to be whom these humans see as the Supreme Being?_ God asked Himself as he looked down at His crystalline cross necklace.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

It was the first time Yoji had ever seen Aoi in her angel form. She still had her shiny light blue hair and pretty face, but her feathery angelic wings and golden halo made her look more beautiful than ever. "Aoi?" Yoji breathed, mesmerized by her beauty.

"I'm happy to see you too," Aoi replied. "Although I would've preferred to meet you again at a different time."

"Well maybe," Yoji somewhat agreed. "So how's bringing upon the apocalypse?"

Aoi laughed at Yoji's weak joke as she sat down on a nearby bench. "I hate it," she confessed. "I don't see why God just suddenly wants to destroy the world."

Yoji, with much effort, lay down next to Aoi and rested his head on her lap. "Hey, this might sound selfish, but…" he hesitated, "can you revive Omi?"

"I can't," Aoi admitted, running her fingers through Yoji's wavy hair. "I'm sorry. But once the Last Judgment has passed, he and all the everyone else, including the angels and demons, will be reborn into the new world."

"But we won't remember anything, will we?"

"That's one of the reasons no one was looking forward to the Last Judgment. I've grown so used to the peaceful sensation of Heaven I don't know if I want to be in the Surface World again."

Yoji reached up and touched Aoi's face. "What did you think of Omi?" he asked.

"He was a nice kid," Aoi answered. "I liked him. It's hard to believe he was an assassin."

"Yeah, it surprises me too sometimes," Yoji agreed. "The only thing rotten about him was that his father was Takatori Reiji. Other than that, Omi was a great kid. He was the most mature of us, worked hard, and the girls loved him. Not as much as they loved me, though…"

"Player," Aoi insulted sweetly, placing her hand on Yoji's chest, close to the base of his neck. "You know, my family was a bit like Omi-kun's. I was born into a wealthy family, but because my father spent so much money on me, we soon went bankrupt. My mother blamed me for our bankruptcy. She probably would've disowned me if not for my father."

"Rough life, huh?"

"It got worse. Because of all the stress my mother was putting on him, my father died of heart failure while I was in high school. My mother was so sickened with grief that she became very angry and often took her anger out on me. She was always jealous of the attention my father gave me." She paused before continuing. "When I graduated from high school, I wanted nothing more to do with my past or my mother, so I legally changed my name to 'Itami Aoi'." She smiled weakly. "My father was the one who named me, saying that 'Hitomi Aoi' was the perfect name for me, but somehow I think 'Itami Aoi' suits me better."

"You know, you do remind me a lot of Omi," Yoji pointed out. "You both had lousy parents, but you both because great people."

Aoi slid her hand from Yoji's chest to his broken ribs. "Liars aren't great people," she disagreed. "They burn in the hottest parts of Hell." Her gentle touch did not mend Yoji's ribs, but it did ease him of some of the pain.

Aoi wrapped a tiny strand of Yoji's hair around the index finger of her other hand. There was such a peaceful sadness about Yoji, she noticed. He always seemed happy, but that was only a mask to hide the sadness. In that sense, they weren't as different as they had originally believed. It made Aoi a little happier.

Yoji tenderly slid his fingers down the side of Aoi's face. She was a very beautiful woman, with her slim figure, firm breasts, slender legs, and pretty face. She was also very kind, and could forgive Yoji's flaws. She was almost perfect. But only almost. She too had flaws of her own. She was passive and submissive, much unlike Asuka, who was an upbeat and active woman. But Aoi was a strong woman in a different way.

Yoji took the angel's hand into his own and kissed it softly. "I am a player," he said. "But that's only because I'm too scared to get close to any woman. All the women I've ever become close to were killed. I didn't want my heart to be torn apart anymore. The first woman I ever felt strongly towards was Murase Asuka, but she was killed…"

"Murase Asuka?" Aoi repeated. "There's no angel by that name in Heaven, and I'm pretty sure there's no demon named that either…"

"Wait, are you saying Asuka's still alive?" Yoji exclaimed. A weak smile then came across his lips. "You wouldn't mind if I had another girlfriend, would you?" he wondered playfully, half-joking.

"You know, lust is a deadly sin," reminded a male voice in front of Aoi and Yoji. They both looked up.

Standing in front of the two lovers with intense rage in his dark brown eyes was Yumeki.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Ken stood on a large cliff, looking down on the destruction. In the really far distance, probably on the main continent of Asia, white balls of light continued to be sucked up into the broken sky.

_Those lights are the souls going to Limbo,_ Ken figured. _It's only a matter of time before we are sucked up into there._

He touched his face. "I will die with my heart full of regret," he said aloud. "But I don't know how to die any other way."

Ken unsheathed his bugnuks and cut his left arm, this time a little deeper than usual. "I can't keep doing this," he told himself. "But I want to get rid of this pain so badly. I could resort to suicide, but what would be the point? We'll all be dead soon anyway." He studied the blood on the blades of his bugnuks and his bleeding arm. "It's this pain that makes me so easy to possess," he thought. "Demons are so cruel. They take advantage of others' weakness."

He picked up a rock and threw it off the cliff. "I was so much happier before me and Aya accidentally stumbled upon the gateway to Heaven. Before then, I never knew such a peaceful place existed. There was no way I would ever be able to live in such a place for eternity. I'm much too evil." He stretched out his wounded arm over the edge and watched as a few drops of blood dripped down into the ravine.

"Aya, Omi, Yoji," Ken whispered. "You three were great friends. Maybe we'll all meet again in the new life." He smiled weakly as he turned around and walked down off the cliff.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

As he was driving, Kage glanced over at Sakura. She rested her chin on her hand as she wishfully looked out the window of the black car. _She almost reminds me of Nadeshiko,_ Kage noticed. _Only almost, though._

Kage sighed heavily. He wondered why Sakura could trust him so. Probably because she didn't know about all the bad things he did in the past. But even then someone loved him, and she knew all about his past.

He stole another glance at Sakura. She was now playing with the earring that was in her left ear. If she could love a cold-blooded and feared assassin like Fujimiya Aya, then it was really no surprise she could trust Kage so easily. But all Aya did was kill people who deserved to die. Kage killed innocent people and ordered massive mob killings, but he also did much more than murder. If Sakura knew of everything he did in his past, then she hate him for sure. And she would also lose all trust in him…

Kage pushed those thoughts from his mind and tried to concentrate only on driving, but not before he caught Sakura taking a quick glance at him. He smiled softly and figured he really had nothing to worry about.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

With the help of the pipe he used as a walking stick, Yoji was able to sit up without much problem. "What do you want?" he asked Yumeki coldly. "You're Mayu Yumeki, aren't you?"

"Did Fujimiya and Hidaka tell you about me?" Yumeki replied, rubbing at the rash that was on his left arm. He turned to face Aoi and a weak smile came upon his face. "Aoi, you weren't really suited to carry out the Last Judgment, were you?" he asked Aoi.

Aoi, mildly surprised at Yumeki's question, shook her head.

Yumeki grabbed Aoi's wrist and pulled her to her feet. "You're too kind for something like that," he said, touching the side of her face. "I can end your misery right now." An energy blade appeared in his free hand.

"Mayu, what are you-" Yoji cut himself off when Yumeki seized Aoi by her throat and stabbed his energy blade through her chest. The blade vanished and he released Aoi's throat so to allow her body to fall limply to the ground.

Ignoring all the pain, Yoji kneeled down and turned Aoi over on her back. There was a thin line of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, but she wasn't gone yet. He slid his hand under her head and wrapped his other arm around her waist. "Aoi, don't leave me now!" he begged, trying to hold back his tears. "Just stay with me a little longer…"

Aoi took Yoji's chin into her hand. "I'm sorry," she apologized, growing weaker with every passing second. "I wish I could make up all my lies to you." Tears were forming in her pale blue eyes.

"Aoi…" Yoji said softly, gently wiping away Aoi's tears.

"Just do me one last thing. Kiss me…"

"Sure." Yoji lifted Aoi up towards him and pressed his lips passionately against hers as she caressed his cheek and neck. Tears crawled out of her eyes as she wished she could remain in Yoji's arms with her lips pressed against his. She didn't want to leave him now. They had been happier in the last few minutes than they had ever been in the rest of their relationship.

"I love you…" Aoi reminded as Yoji laid her back on the ground. Her eyes closed and her body dissolved into millions of tiny, glowing particles that were sucked up into the sky.

Yoji could no longer hold back his tears. He wrapped his arms protectively around his body as tears crawled down his face. "No…" he protested. "I don't want anyone else to leave… Aoi, I love you too…"

"Would you like to join her?" Yumeki asked, stepping up to Yoji. His voice was uneven, as if he was remorseful for sending Aoi to Limbo.

Yoji looked up at Yumeki, murder in his jade green eyes. He reached for the garrote wire in his watch, but the angel got to the wire first. He looped it around Yoji's neck several times and pulled tightly.

"Aoi…" Yoji forced out along with quite a bit of blood. He did nothing to pry the garrote wire biting into his fresh away from his throat.

Finally one last sickening choking sound came from the blond assassin, and he was dead. Yumeki released the wire and allowed Yoji's body to hit the ground. A small bit of blood tickled from his mouth.

Yumeki kneeled next to Yoji's corpse. "I'm sorry, Aoi…" he apologized in a quiet voice. He scratched at the sore mark on his arm, causing it to bleed a little. The faintest hint of a black mist then escaped from it.

_/My wings emerge/  
/And I fly away/  
/I love you, but I still lie/  
/You don't know the "true" me/  
/But yet you love me still/_

_I never wanted to fall in love again. After all, an assassin like me isn't supposed to love. An assassin's life is a lonely one, so I'm surprised I even had my friends in Weiß. Still, I'm thankful I at least had them. But despite all that, I'm happy I could fall in love with you, Aoi. Not many women I don't try to get in bed with me make me as happy as you did. I hope we see each other in the new life, but if Asuka's there too, it's gonna be tough to choose._

_As an angel, I wasn't supposed to fall in love with any human. It just isn't meant to be like that. But I didn't care, and I ended up lying to you, Yoji. I hated lying to you, but I didn't know what else to do. My lies hurt you, didn't they? I'm so sorry about that. But I'm really happy you still loved me even after you found out the truth about me. I want to be together with you in the new life, but I deserve you less than you deserve me. But will that really matter once we're reborn?_


	20. Schattenwelt

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit

Kapitel 19: Schattenwelt  
_/I'm trapped inside this shadow world/  
/I want to escape/  
/I scream out/  
/But there is no reply from the darkness/_

_"Wait, I need to tell you something."_

_"…what is it?"_

_"Um…I-I love you…"_

_"You can't. You know of all the bad things I did in my past. It's not possible for a man like me to be loved."_

_"But you're not like that anymore, are you? You've changed. Kage, I love you for who you are right now."_

_"…you're right. I'm not a crime boss anymore. I've left that business for good. And…"_

_"And what?"_

_"Nadeshiko, I love you too…"_

Kage shook his head slightly to clear his mind. He was thinking about the past a lot more often these days. But he hated it. Reminiscence brought on pain, and he didn't want to have to retreat back to the shadow world in the back of his mind ever again.

He pulled his car up into the driveway of an old house and stepped out. He then went over to the other side of the car and helped Sakura out.

"Where are we?" Sakura asked.

"This is my house," Kage answered with a soft and sly smile.

Kage's house was rather simple, with nothing fancy. It was one story tall, and it was made up of old bricks painted white. The windows were few and had no shutters. Moss had grown over the large front porch and nearly all over the bottom of the house, as if its owner had not been here for a while.

Kage unlocked the front door and escorted Sakura inside. "Well, what do you think?" he asked her.

"It's…nice," Sakura complimented it, not sure of what else to say.

The living room was actually quite pretty. The walls were painted a soft white that made the room appear a little bigger than it really was. In the wooden cabinets off to the sides were crystal china plates and glasses. In the back were two chairs with cushions and one love seat with brown crushed velvet. In the front of the room was a large entertainment center with a huge stereo system and a 32-in flat screen television. The curtains for the large window next to the front door were a whitish-pink with lacy edges. They seemed a bit too feminine for a man like Kage…

"The laces were Nadeshiko's idea," Kage explained, seeing where Sakura was looking.

"Nadeshiko?" Sakura repeated.

"My fiancée."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Kodoku kicked a rock around as he wandered about aimlessly. He had been ordered to cause as much destruction as possible and send angels to Limbo violently, but he wanted to see how long he could go without obeying Satan's orders. His body was beginning to grow cold and subtle pain flowed through it.

_I hate this, _Kodoku said to himself as his rock fell into a sewer drain. He softly cursed his problems while he continued to wander pointlessly.

Soon Kodoku halted suddenly and forgot all his problems. Standing just a few feet in front of him was Yumeki. But the angel's back was turned, so he didn't see the demon.

_Yumeki! _Kodoku thought happily, a small smile on his face. He started to take a few steps forward, but then he stopped himself. He had no right to ever see Yumeki again. Kodoku had lied to the angel and then had stolen his power. Kodoku was about to leave when Yumeki turned around.

"Kodoku?" Yumeki said. He seemed surprised to see the demon.

"Uh, hi," Kodoku greeted him, unsure of what to say.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Kage pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and handed it to Sakura. "Here, I have a photo of Nadeshiko somewhere in there," he said.

Sakura accepted Kage's wallet and started looking through it. She soon came across a small photograph. She took it out and studied it carefully. The woman in the photograph had beautiful forest green eyes and glossy brown hair tied back in a loose braid. Her face was gentle, and she seemed as though she would be very kind, but tough and stubborn in a feminine manner.

"Wow, she's beautiful!" Sakura thought out loud.

"Yes, Tenshi Nadeshiko was very beautiful," Kage agreed. "There was no woman as beautiful as her. But she wasn't just lovely on the outside. Her inner beauty was something else, too." He took the photograph and his wallet back from Sakura and sat down on the left side of the love seat. He let out a depressed sigh.

"Where is Nadeshiko-san now?" Sakura asked. "Can I meet her?"

"No," Kage declined firmly, shaking his head. "Nadeshiko is dead. She was killed in a car accident a few years ago." His voice carried nothing but grief, as if it hurt him to admit that.

"Oh," Sakura replied, mildly shocked. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's all right," Kage interrupted. "Come sit down. I want to tell you something."

Sakura, a bit reluctantly, sat down next to Kage. She left a little space between him and herself, but not enough to where it seemed as if she was trying to sit as far away as possible from him.

"Sakura, you know what it's like to love someone, right?" Kage guessed.

Sakura nodded, slightly blushing.

"Well, uh…how do I say this?" The dark-haired crime boss paused for a few minutes before continuing. "Well, this is what I think. You see, I have been involved with a lot of women, mostly for sex, so I know what it's like to be in a relationship. But when I met Nadeshiko, I felt different." He paused uneasily. "I can't explain it. I just knew that I sincerely loved her. I wanted to be with her, and no one else. And if she could love me, even when she learned of all the bad things I did in my past, I guess that meant we were destined to be together." Another pause. "Sakura, this is what I believe. For every person, there is only one other person they are completely compatible with. It can be someone of the opposite sex, or the same sex. It doesn't matter. Most people probably don't find that person, so I was lucky to have met Nadeshiko."

"Um, how do you know if you've found that person?" Sakura wanted to know.

"I can't answer that very well," Kage admitted. "I think you just know. I wonder if Fujimiya feels that way about you? I also wonder about Lucifer-sama, but I think he just wants to get you into bed with him."

Sakura grew nervous. Kage was wrong; Lucifer had said himself he had no intention of hurting her, but after he had nearly strangled her, she was a little less trusting.

Quite unexpectedly, Kage laid his hand on Sakura's hair and gently stroked it. "Sakura, do you know the real reason why I suggested that you grow your hair out?" he wondered. "You see, your hair is almost the same shade of brown as Nadeshiko's was and just as soft. I wanted to see my fiancée in you, but sometimes it hurts to think of her, so maybe it was better you kept your hair short. Besides, you barely look anything like her."

"That's good," Sakura replied in a soft voice, relieved.

"Also," Kage's gray eyes traveled down from Sakura's face to her breasts, "Nadeshiko had a larger chest."

"Kage-kun!"

"Okay, so maybe a twenty-seven year-old man shouldn't be making cracks about a fifteen year-old girl's small breasts."

Sakura blushed as she wrapped her arms around her body to cover her chest. Kage chuckled as he lightly touched her arm. "Hey, I'm sorry for being perverted," he apologized. He slowly moved his hand from Sakura's arm to her face. "Sakura dear," he said in a monotone voice.

"Huh?" Sakura exclaimed, her face redder than before.

"That didn't sound right," Kage noticed. He then let out a heavy sigh. "I remember exactly how I was after Nadeshiko's death. My mind was shattered and I had retreated into the shadow world in the back of my mind. I was so far into it, I couldn't pull myself out. It was Lucifer-sama who saved me. If not for him, I would've been branded legally insane. I may still hate him, but I show my gratitude my calling him 'Lucifer-sama'."

Sakura said nothing in reply. She was starting to understand Kage more, and beginning to think of him as a close friend. And he must've trusted her, for his "shadow world" didn't seem like the type of thing he would tell just anyone.

"I need some fresh air," Kage said, standing up. "Stay here, Sakura." He exited by the front door and went around the house to the backyard. The yard definitely looked as if it needed some work, but Kage was hardly home often enough to give it the care it so greatly needed

Kage ran his fingers through his black hair. He thought deeply about Sakura. She could not be, as he had hoped, a replacement for Nadeshiko. Like he had said before, she looked too different, and besides, she was much too young for him.

He still liked Sakura as a close friend, though. Despite being rather shy and weak-willed when it came to love, she was a very mature young woman. Unlike most people, she could understand the existence of his shadow world in the back of his mind.

The shadow world. He had created it for the sole reason of retreating to it when life became too harsh. After all, life in the underworld was not easy. He needed a way to survive mentally, and so he created what he called a "shadow world" hidden in the farthest reaches of his mind.

But now that he had met Sakura, he believed he wouldn't need his shadow world anymore. The truth was, his shadow world wasn't that much different from reality. Sakura was pure and innocent, the exact opposite of his shadow world. All Kage wanted now was to protect her from Lucifer.

He didn't notice the person behind him until it was too late.

By then, the chain was already around his neck.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

The spirit Resurgere looked down at Aya's sister and touched her face. Even compared to the comatose girl's pale skin, his hand was plainly transparent. "I'm sorry I couldn't heal your soul," he apologized. "I tried; I really did, but maybe I was just afraid of drawing on Ran's strength and risking permanently damaging his mind and body." Despite being in a coma, Aya's sister could still hear Resurgere's words.

"I'm not your brother, so there's no harm in loving you," he continued on. "But my reincarnation is your brother. I may eventually merge with him. I did enjoy the time I spent with you." He bent over the unconscious girl and lightly brushed his lips against hers. She felt the gentle kiss, as did he.

_Thank you,_ Aya's sister said.

"Don't talk," Resurgere requested. "It's too hard on your soul." He smiled. "I don't want to see you die, but if I had to decide how you would die, I would want you to have a peaceful death."

Aya's sister said nothing in reply, but she was still comforted by Resurgere words. The two years she had spent in her coma had not been all bad; Resurgere's company made her very happy. But he was depressed often, and that in turn made her depressed.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Sakura reached out and lightly ran her hand over some of the china. _Kage-kun must've had a happy life before Nadeshiko-san was killed, _she thought. Every time he talked about his fiancée, there was a wishful look on his face, and every time he mentioned her death, there was such pain and sadness behind his gray eyes.

Sakura's hand came upon a transparent vase with a red rose painted on it. Was Aya really the right person for her? She felt uncertain, but maybe that was natural. After all, Lucifer had said Aya was evil by choice. But she still believed in him, and had little doubt in him.

Out of habit, she started to play with the golden rod in her left ear. What about Lucifer? He seemed to be sincerely in love with her, even if he did try to choke her. And despite actually being the Devil and acting quite cruel towards others, he was very charming to her.

A sigh escaped from Sakura. She decided to join Kage outside to get her mind off his ideas of love.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Choking, Kage stabbed his elbow repeatedly into Lucifer's stomach while he tried to use his other hand to pry the chain from his neck. His throat was burning, but Lucifer had a tight grip on the chain.

"Stay away from Sakura-chan," Lucifer ordered harshly.

Kage forced out a weak laugh. "You have no need to be jealous of me," he said. "It's not me Sakura loves; it's Fujimiya. Besides, you were the one who ordered me to kidnap her."

The chain tightened as Lucifer told Kage to shut up.

"Like she'd ever love scum like you," the Kage pressed on. It was becoming difficult for him to speak. "What are you planning to do to her? Rape her, and then strangle her? Or is it the other way around? Or are you gonna rape her as you're strangling her just so you can see how far you can get before you kill her?"

"Why are you accusing me of planning to rape Sakura-chan?" Lucifer whispered in a mocking tone as he pulled Kage closer. "If I remember correctly, girls her age were a particular favorite of yours."

"I'm not in that business anymore!" Kage screamed. With one final blow to his boss's stomach, he forced Lucifer to release the chain around his neck. He fell to his knees, clutching his half-crushed throat. He then noticed Sakura standing a few feet in front of him and Lucifer.

"Sakura!" Kage exclaimed, stepping up to the girl and laying his hands on her shoulders. "How much did you hear?"

"Kage-kun, what did Lucifer mean when he said that girls my age were a particular favorite of yours?" Sakura asked in a quiet and uneven voice. Her cherry blossom eyes held a worried look.

Kage just broke down right there. He kneeled against Sakura, wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face in her shoulder. His light gray eyes became moist with tears.

"Sakura, there are so many things about me I never wanted you to find out," Kage confessed, his voice cracking. "I really like you as a friend. You're so young, but it doesn't matter to me. Sakura, I don't want to lose your trust…"

"Kage-kun," Sakura said, placing one hand on Kage's shoulder and the other on his thick hair to comfort him. He was acting like a child now. Maybe he was retreating back into his shadow world.

Kage, with his face still buried in Sakura's shoulder, began to speak. "Sakura, I am a crime boss," he started. "I've been involved in hundreds of crimes. I was at the height of my career five years ago, when I was only twenty-two. You see, I-" he hesitated, "-I ran one of the largest prostitution rings in Asia!"

Kage's arms tightened around Sakura very slightly. His breathing was very heavy. "When I told you that I had been involved with a lot of women, I meant girls around your age," he continued. "They were my favorite. I-I guess virgins were just more fun to rape. Then there was this one girl. She was probably your age. She kept asking why I raped and killed women. She asked how I could do such wicked and immoral things. She called me evil and said that God would never forgive me. I wanted her to shut up so badly, I just killed her. But her words still rang in my ears. I shut down the prostitution ring, and swore never to get involved in such crimes ever again."

Kage paused for a few minutes as he tried to recollect himself. "Nadeshiko, s-she knew of my past in prostitution," he went on. "Yet she still loved me. I never understood that, but I didn't care. I loved her too."

Tears escaped from Kage's eyes and Sakura's shoulder became slightly damp. "Oh Sakura, I never wanted you to know that!" he cried. "Your trust is important to me. I don't want to lose it…"

"Kage-kun…" Sakura replied, unable to say more. Kage had definitely retreated back into his shadow world.

"Kage," he corrected, standing up and touching the earring in Sakura's left ear. "Call me Kage. That is my name, after all, even if it is weird."

Sakura smiled softly. She lightly hugged Kage in an act of pure friendship. "I still trust you, Kage," she admitted.

Kage returned Sakura's embrace. "Sakura…" he whispered quietly. He didn't know what else to say. He had been certain Sakura would lose all trust in him. For a brief instant, he felt a strong feeling towards her, the same one that he had felt towards Nadeshiko…

A gunshot was then heard. Kage stumbled against Sakura as she felt blood gush from the bullet wound on his back. She gently brought him to the ground. His breathing was sharp and raspy, and a thin line of blood flowed from his mouth. Sakura looked up at Lucifer, who held a freshly fired gun.

"Sekai, there are some scars that never fade," Lucifer said. "Tell me, how can you mistrust me so when you were the one who was involved in child prostitution?"

Sakura turned her face away, unable to hide her complete and utter hatred of Lucifer now. She used one hand to support Kage's head and wrapped her other arm around his waist. "Kage, please be all right," she prayed, her eyes becoming tearful. "Please, don't die!"

A weak smile came upon Kage's lips. He wiped away some of Sakura's tears and took her hand into his own. "Sakura, Fujimiya is very lucky to have you," he told her. "Don't die on him, okay?" He pulled Sakura's hand closer to his lips. "I really like you, Sakura dear, and…I'm sorry, for everything…" His eyes closed and his fingers went cold.

"No, Kage!" Sakura protested, more tears forming in her eyes. She clenched Kage's cold hand tighter as she begged for him to open his eyes.

"Don't cry for him, Sakura-chan," Lucifer ordered. "He was only scum, just like Ran is."

"Shut up!" Sakura screamed, on her feet. "Kage was a good person, and I believe in Aya-san!"

"Aya-san," Lucifer mocked. "I thought you called him Ran-kun now. Or are you trying to go back to the days were you didn't know 'Aya-san' for the scum he is?"

"You're more of scum than he ever was!" Sakura yelled, completely outraged.

Lucifer was outraged as well. He engulfed himself in a cocoon of fire and emerged in his true form as Satan. He then stepped up to Sakura, seized her wrists, and pulled her closer.

"Sakura-chan, I will make you all mine," the Devil promised, His voice firm. "You will have eyes only for me. Not Ran; me." He forcibly seized Sakura's chin and roughly pressed His lips against hers.

Sakura slapped Satan's hands away and pushed Him back. "Don't touch me!" she commanded in a harsh voice. "I hate You!" With that, she ran off as quickly as she possibly could. The Devil, having taken her outburst rather personally, did nothing to stop her.

_My life was always pretty much worthless. A crime boss's life is like that, after all. At least until I meet you, my precious Tenshi Nadeshiko. I loved you, but you had to leave me… Then Tomoe Sakura came along. She was a nice girl, and I really liked her. Because of her, I may not have needed my shadow world anymore. I was afraid I would lose her trust, but I should've had more faith in her. However, she could never replace you. Nadeshiko, I am here for you now. And this time don't leave me._


	21. Kaputte Freundschaft

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit

Kapitel 20: Kaputte Freundschaft  
_/People used to see me as a miracle/  
/But I've always wanted to be alone/  
/That is why I am a 'lonely miracle'/  
/Such a fitting name…/_

"Lonely miracle," Yumeki said to Kodoku, breaking the awkward silence.

Kodoku was not at all taken back by Yumeki's insult. "You gave me that name," he reminded the angel. "You said it was what my name would be in English."

A weak smile formed on Yumeki's face. "I did, didn't I?" he replied. He turned around, about to walk away.

"You really do hate me now, don't you?" Kodoku called out, bringing Yumeki to a halt.

There was a seemingly long silence. "I don't hate you," Yumeki corrected, his voice faint. "I just…"

"Don't trust me anymore, right?"

Yumeki did not answer that.

"Look, can you stay, even for just a little bit?" Kodoku requested. "I just want to know how you've been these last twenty years."

Another long silence. "Sure," Yumeki finally decided.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya stepped into his sister's hospital room. He felt Resurgere's power protecting both his sister and the room. He went over to her bed and sat down on the chair. He looked up at Resurgere, who was leaning against the wall. "Resurgere, could you heal Aya's soul?" he asked.

"Not yet," Resurgere answered. "But if it's the Last Judgment now, I don't think there's any point in me trying to save her."

"Please don't let her die," Aya pleaded. "She's the only family I have left."

Resurgere smiled. "What, you think I'll just let her die?" he asked. "I love Aya-chan. I would never let her die without a fight."

Aya said nothing in reply. He bent over his sister and lightly kissed her forehead. He then stood up and left the room in silence.

"I'm so sorry," Resurgere mumbled. "I wish I could've healed your soul sooner so that you would be able to spend your final moments with Ran."

_But Resurgere-kun, what if my brother is able to save the world?_ Aya's sister asked.

"The day that happens is the day when Satan starts passing out candy that _isn't_ poisoned," Resurgere commented. "Look, your brother is going to be the end. It's part of some old verse. 'The balance of good and evil, the one who will be the end.'"

The comatose girl remained silent. Although Resurgere had told her the truth about her brother many times, she still could not believe her brother was to be the one to destroy the world.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya gazed upward at the hospital as he exited it. His pale eyes traveled up to the story where his sister's room was. He sighed wishfully. He clutched his katana tighter as he tore his eyes from the hospital. He walked forward and accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry," Aya mumbled, not bothering to look at whoever he bumped into.

"Ran-kun?" asked the person in her soft voice.

"Sakura?" Aya said, making eye contact with Sakura. He dropped his katana and swept the girl into his arms, pulling her close.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

In a narrow alley, Ken leaned against the wall of a partially destroyed building. He shivered violently as he continued to slash his arms, each time deeper than before. Scars were now visible on both arms. He appeared so delicate and crazed, even the rats stayed far from him.

Ken soon stopped cutting himself and watched the blood run down his arms. He slid down to the ground, gently caressing his arms. What was he doing? What was the point of cutting himself?

He felt a warm hand touch one of his wounded arms. "You should not cut yourself so much," said a peaceful and deep voice.

Ken glanced upward, and found himself looking into the deep blue eyes of God. "What do You want?" he asked coldly.

God sat down next to Ken. "There are better ways of dealing with pain," He told Ken. "Your friends are quite willing to help you. You should accept their help."

Ken turned his face away, his eyes emotionless. "Why can't You relieve me of this pain?" he wondered.

"Because pain is proof of my faith in you," the Almighty explained. "If I did not believe you could handle it, I would not have ever allowed you to experience pain. However, I _do_ believe you are capable of handling it."

Ken sighed. "Next time then, could you have a little less faith in me?" he requested.

"There are two reasons the Kreuze exist," God began. "One is so that humans do not get involved in the Krieg von Tränen. The other reason is so that they do not accidentally experience the peacefulness of Heaven before they are supposed to. I can see clearly that it has affected you greatly. It has even affected Aya and Yoji, but not as much as you because they are able to deal with their pain."

"But why not me?" Ken yelled, becoming frustrated. "Most of my life has been nothing but pain, so shouldn't I be used to it by now?"

"Do you really think it is possible to be used to pain?" God asked calmly.

"Do You even know what it's like to feel pain all the time?" Ken screamed angrily. "Do You know how I feel right now?"

"I do know what it is like to feel pain," God countered, His voice sharp. "Do you believe it does not hurt when a person dies? I feel pain every time someone dies, even if it is a wicked person." He drew His knees up to His chest. "It has been that way ever since Adam and Eve first walked the Earth. One would think that I, of everyone, would be used to pain and see it as merely nothing. That is not true. That is because I was once like them."

"God?" Ken said quietly, looked up at the Almighty. God's eyes appeared clouded and nostalgic, but it was difficult to tell because His dark purple bangs interfered with His eyes.

"Yes, I was once like you," God continued on, seemingly forgetting where He was. "But when humans began worshipping me, I had to change to reflect their image of me…" He clenched His knees tighter. "Sometimes I wish I had remained the way I was. If I had, then…" He shook His head and stood up. "Ken, do you want me to send you to Limbo now?"

"What?" Ken replied, very surprised at the sudden change in subject.

"I asked, do you want me to send you to Limbo now?" God repeated patiently. His handsome face held a solemn expression.

"No…" Ken refused softly, shaking his head. "Not yet."

"Very well," God said. "I shall see you again then. Please take care and do stop cutting yourself." With that, he turned around and left the narrow alley.

"Once like me?" Ken repeated, studying the cuts on his arms. They had stopped bleeding, but the blood was still fresh. A weak smile came upon his lips. "Maybe that's way He seems to understand me so well."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Want a cigarette?" Kodoku asked Yumeki as he pulled out a cigarette from its beaten and worn package.

Yumeki just shook his head in response.

Kodoku shrugged his small shoulders. He lit the cigarette with a snap of his fingers and stuck it in his mouth. He lightly leaned against Yumeki's back. The demon and the angel were sitting back-to-back on an old, wooden bench.

Kodoku was growing uncomfortable with Yumeki's attitude. While Yumeki never did talk much, he was never this withdrawn either. Kodoku wondered if it had anything to do with that ugly rash on his left arm.

"Do you remember how we first met?" Yumeki suddenly asked, breaking Kodoku's train of thought.

"Of course," Kodoku answered, removing the cigarette from his mouth. "I was about…" He was actually quite uncomfortable with talking about how he and Yumeki first met. "I was about to commit suicide, but then-"

"I stopped you," Yumeki finished vaguely. "You were only eighteen, but you had completely shut yourself out from the world. I wanted to know why you were so withdrawn."

Kodoku grew tense. Their conversation was bringing on painful memories. "Yumeki, could we talk about something else?" he requested.

Yumeki didn't answer Kodoku. But he didn't push the subject further, either.

Kodoku wondered why Yumeki had wanted to talk about the past. Yumeki never wanted to reminisce any other time. So why start now?

Kodoku blew out a puff of smoke. He hated reminiscing. His past wasn't something he liked to be reminded of. He had been abandoned at the hospital as a baby. He had received the surname "Kiseki" at the orphanage he was sent too. Because of his cold nature, he had grown up alone. Sometime during his teen years, he had given himself the first name "Kodoku."

When he turned eighteen, he joined the military because he had nowhere else to go. However, despite hating people, he really didn't want to kill anyone. He tried several times to kill himself, but was never successful. During one of his suicide attempts, he met Yumeki. They became close friends, even though the colonel was much older. But when Yumeki was killed in combat exactly one year later, Kodoku was devastated. He wanted nothing more than the deaths of those who killed his closest friend. As he slowly became general, he became crueler, but nothing like he was now.

Kodoku's thoughts shifted to Yumeki. Yumeki had been the one to give him the nickname "Lonely Miracle." The demon had grown quite fond of the nickname, and used it often himself. He sighed heavily. He was really worried about Yumeki. But Kodoku had no right to try to help the powerful angel, not after betraying and then hurting him.

"What's it like being in Hell?" Yumeki wondered of Kodoku, again breaking the silence.

"Miserable," Kodoku answered. For some reason, talking about being in Hell was a lot easier than talking about his past. "It's cruel and harsh. To survive, you have to bury your emotions and kindness. But it's supposed to be that why, I think. And then there's more."

"Go on," Yumeki urged.

A weak smile formed on Kodoku's face. "Satan owns my soul, so I have no free will of my own," he went on. "But there is one good thing that has come of that. At times I can see what Satan is thinking, sometimes vaguely, and sometimes clearly. I've long since learned why He was so interested in the Weiß Kreuz and Fujimiya. The other demons have no idea why He's so interested in that guy, but I do. I even know Satan's greatest weakness."

"His greatest weakness?"

"Yes. She is probably also Fujimiya's greatest weakness. I will kill her just to see Fujimiya suffer." A cruel gleam shone in Kodoku's brown eyes.

"She?" Yumeki repeated. He abruptly stood up and faced Kodoku, disgust in his dark brown eyes. "You plan on killing this girl, just for the sole reason of hurting Fujimiya?"

"Yes, I plan on killing her," Kodoku confirmed, some impatience in his voice. "It's nothing that concerns you. Just stay out of my way."

"Do you have any idea what it's like to lose someone close to you?" Yumeki asked harshly.

"I do," Kodoku answered, getting on his feet. "But that's not the point. I told you before, I only want to see Fujimiya suffer. See you around." He started flapping his large demonic wings and took off to the sky, leaving Yumeki alone.

"Lonely miracle…" Yumeki hissed once Kodoku was out of sight.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Sakura lay against a ruined fountain as Aya rested his head on her shoulder. She had buried her face in his soft hair and had her arms wrapped securely around his slim shoulders. He had his arms laid across his stomach.

Neither of them was in the mood to talk, not after seeing Yoji's dead body. He had been strangled to death with his own garrote wire, but it was obvious that he didn't kill himself. Aya told Sakura to look away while he buried Yoji and made a cross for the Yoji's grave, just as he had done with Omi's.

As Aya was burying Yoji, he sensed faint traces of an angel's energy. After a while he came to the conclusion it belonged to Yumeki. He then believed Yumeki had been the one to strangle Yoji, but Aya couldn't figure out why he would do that. Aya mentioned none of this to Sakura.

"Ran-kun, do you remember who Sekai Kage was?" Sakura wondered, running her fingers lovingly through Aya's hair.

"Sekai…" Aya repeated. "Wasn't he that man who kidnapped us for Lucifer?" His voice grew sharp and more serious than usual. "Did he try to kidnap you again?"

"No, he didn't," Sakura corrected. "He was ordered to kidnap me, but he decided to protect me from Lucifer. He wasn't a bad person, really. It's just that the life of a crime boss is all he knew. He was really nice, and he became a close friend." Her voice started to crack, and sadness leaked through.

"Sakura, you're speaking of him in the past tense," Aya noticed, his voice softer. "Did something happen to him?"

Sakura paused for a few seconds to recollect herself. "I didn't know how much of a friend Kage was until he was gone," she continued. "All he wanted from me was my trust. I told him I did trust him, but I did start to feel a bit doubtful when he told me about his past." Her eyes began to water. "Still, I wasn't lying when I said I trusted him. He was happy. He wasn't an evil person anymore. But then…" She trailed off sorrowfully.

"Then what?" Aya pressed on gently. "Sakura, was he killed?"

Sakura nodded grimly. "Yes," she answered, almost whispering. "Lucifer killed him. Right in front of me. He was growing jealous of Kage. He thought Kage had stronger feelings for me." Tears crawled down her cheeks. "But Kage didn't feel that way towards me! If he loved me at all, it would be as a friend. But Lucifer couldn't see that…"

Aya narrowed his orchid eyes. "Why would Satan be jealous of Sekai?" he asked coolly.

Sakura hesitated. "Well, um, He's-" she shuddered, but she was interrupted by a sudden male voice.

"You two look cute together," interrupted the male voice, which belonged to Yumeki. "But it does seem out of character for Fujimiya." His face held a peaceful, yet sorrowful look.

Aya looked up at Yumeki, and his eyes became cold with malice. "Mayu," he said hoarsely.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

_"Colonel Mayu! Oh God, you're bleeding heavily…"_

_"Hey, lonely miracle. It doesn't look like I'm gonna survive…"_

_"Don't talk like that! I'll go get help."_

_"Don't waste your time. Even if you can find help, it won't get to me in time."_

_"But I can't just let you die! I don't wanna be alone again…"_

_"Stop crying. A man like you shouldn't cry, even if you do have a feminine figure. Ugh…I can't talk for much longer. Kodoku, don't call me 'Colonel Mayu' anymore. We're on first name basis, aren't we?"_

_"Colonel Mayu…"_

_"I said stop calling me that. Heh, I think I'm actually afraid of dying. Well, you're a good friend, and don't kill yourself over this…"_

_"No, don't die! Colonel Mayu, please open your eyes… YUMEKI!"_

ο ο ο ο ο ο

_Why do I have to think about that now?_ Kodoku told himself as he was flying towards wherever Aya and Sakura were. _It's making me soft._ Yumeki's words had affected him somehow, and they were invoking a sense of guilt.

Soon he landed on the ground. He saw Aya and Sakura some distance in front of him. He was about to advance closer, but halted when he saw Yumeki.

_What is he doing here?_ Kodoku wondered angrily. He softly cursed under his breath and he began running towards the small group. "Yumeki, I told you to stay out of my way!" he screamed. "So why are you here?"

Yumeki placed himself in front of Aya and Sakura. "You said yourself you knew how it felt to lose someone close to you," he remembered. "And I have forced myself to feel that pain."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kodoku asked furiously.

"Being in Hell changed you, didn't it?" Yumeki assumed, his face expressionless.

Kodoku clenched his teeth together. "Shut up!" he commanded harshly. He raised his hands and began collecting dark energy.

_I'm nothing but a lonely miracle. It's been that way as long as I can remember. People shunned and ignored me, and thus I grew up isolated. I never minded, but all the pain I felt was kept inside me because I had no one to share it with. Yumeki, you were such a great friend to me, as well as the only one. Your friendship meant a lot to me. I never meant to betray and hurt you. I'm truly sorry, and I hope you can someday forgive me and then trust me once more._


	22. Die Grausamkeit des Einsamen Wunders

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit

Kapitel 21: Die Grausamkeit des Einsamen Wunders  
_/You are the one I care for most/  
/I want you so much that it hurts/  
/We'll be together, always, for all time/_

Ken sighed heavily as he continued to roam through the ruins of Tokyo. Reluctant to return to Yoji and Aya, he was wandering aimlessly. As he did so, he had seen many people clinging onto life, using what they had left to survive.

"What idiots," Kase insulted as he walked next to Ken in his solid demon form, the wings and horns included. "It's the end of the world. No one is going to survive."

"Shut up," Ken snapped. "No one asked you. Why are you still here anyway?"

"To send angels to Limbo. Angels want a peaceful apocalypse, but we demons want a violent one."

"Kase, even for you, that's pretty cruel."

Kase wrapped one of his demon wings around Ken. "Ken, try living in Hell, even for a day," Kase suggested. "Then you'll see what I mean."

Ken forcefully shoved Kase's wing off of him. "It's that cruelty of yours that landed you in Hell," he reminded.

Kase was growing frustrated. He seized Ken's shoulder and turned the brunette around to face him. He then grabbed Ken's neck with both hands, but didn't tighten his grip.

"Before you possessed me, you did say that you would strangle me if you could," Ken remembered, his voice cold. He did not even try to pry Kase's fingers from his neck. "So go ahead. Squeeze tighter. Choke the life out of me."

"If you want to die so badly, why don't you just kill yourself?" Kase asked, his hands becoming sweaty.

Ken's gaze become colder, but that was his only response to Kase's question.

Kase prepared to tighten his grip on Ken's neck, but his hands would not move. They only grew sweatier. Finally, he decided to just release Ken's neck. "Forget it," Kase said. "There's no point in killing you." He turned his back to Ken and began to walk away.

"Coward," Ken scorned the demon in a voice that was not his own.

"What did you say?" Kase demanded to know, swiftly whirling around to face Ken.

"Why won't you kill this worthless human?" Ken asked cruelly. His eyes were being shadowed by his messy bangs, but faint traces of red were clearly visible.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya swept Sakura into his arms and he and Yumeki jumped away from Kodoku's dark energy blast. It narrowly missed them. Kodoku appeared to be so obsessed with killing Aya, it was like he was prepared to do anything to bring pain to the redhead.

"Mayu, take Sakura and get her away from here," Aya ordered Yumeki. He wasn't sure if he could trust the angel, but he didn't want Sakura to be hurt. "I'll handle Kiseki." He freed his katana of its scabbard and charged for Kodoku. The demon evaded the katana's blade and created his own energy blade to counter Aya's sword.

As Aya was battling with Kodoku, Yumeki picked Sakura up in his arms and started flying far away from the battlefield. It would have been quicker to just teleport someplace else, but Yumeki was unsure if he could do that while in the Surface World and he didn't want to attempt teleportation when someone was with him.

Sakura, however, didn't want to leave Aya alone with Kodoku. She was worried about the red-haired assassin, for she heard several explosions, but she couldn't see anything due to Yumeki's flapping angelic wings. She wrapped her arms tighter around the angel's neck as she prayed for Aya's safety.

Yumeki made a sharp turn into a narrow alley. "We should be safe here," he said as he landed. As soon as he let go of Sakura, she tried to make a mad dash to where Aya and Kodoku were. Yumeki was just barely able to seize her arm.

"Let me go!" Sakura ordered, trying to break free of Yumeki's grasp.

"What are you, an idiot?" Yumeki insulted. He grabbed Sakura's shoulders and forced her to look up at him. "Do you want to be killed? Fujimiya would be sad if that happened. He is doing all this for you, the one he loves."

"I'm sorry," Sakura said, her voice quiet. "But I just don't want him to die! Can you please help him?"

Yumeki forced a weak smile. "I hate stubborn women," he admitted light-heartedly. "All right, you've convinced me. I'll go help Fujimiya." He picked Sakura up in his arms. "I shouldn't take you with me, but I really don't want to leave you by yourself."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya slashed at Kodoku with his katana. However, the demon dodged the redhead's blade and jumped behind Aya. Aya swiftly turned around and began slashing his katana wildly. Kodoku caught the katana's blade between his palms and nailed Aya in the stomach with his knee.

"Tell me, how well do you understand that girl's feelings?" Kodoku asked cruelly. "She loves you, but is that the only thing she feels towards you?"

"What are you talking about?" Aya demanded to know, pulling his katana free of Kodoku's grasp. He stabbed his katana at the demon, but Kodoku flew up into the air before the blade stuck him; he only suffered a small cut on his left arm.

"You are Resurgere, remember?" Kodoku reminded. "You are the end. Don't you think Tomoe would be just the tiniest bit afraid of you?"

"Shut up!" Aya screamed. He threw his katana at Kodoku, and it stuck the lonely miracle in the left wing. As Kodoku was falling to the ground, he forced white energy ribbons to emit from the ground to bind Aya's entire body. They wrapped around his ankles, waist, wrists, and neck before bringing him down to the ground.

"If you were fully awakened as Resurgere, I wouldn't stand a chance of killing you," Kodoku admitted, pulling the katana out of his wing and standing up. He stepped up to Aya. "But since you're just a murderer and not some black angel-" He pointed the bloodstained katana at Aya's throat, "-I can kill you easily." Before he could slit Aya's throat, though, a small white energy blast came and knocked the katana out of Kodoku's hands.

"Fujimiya, I have a better idea," Yumeki said, gently letting go of Sakura. He went over to Aya and broke the redhead's bindings. "I'll fight with Kodoku while you protect Sakura."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Ken hated being possessed by demons. When a demon started to take control of his body, he felt like a pillow was placed over his nose and mouth, and then the demon would slowly ease into his body, as if it was only a piece of clothing. But that wasn't the worst of it. While being possessed, Ken was in a dream-like state where his sense of reality was distorted. Yet he still knew of everything the demon did. He saw, heard, and did whatever the demon did. He even felt the same emotions and feelings. When Omi was being killed, he shared the same excitement Kase felt. It was like he had been the one to kill Omi, not Kase.

The demon-possessed Ken grabbed Kase by the face and started bashing the other demon's skull into the hard ground. Blood soon began to run down Kase's face. Finally he was able to kick Ken off of him, but he couldn't do much else.

"You're not much unless you're possessing some strong human, are you?" Ken noticed, his voice cruel. "You're just some weak, cowardly demon."

"Ken, I know this is hard for you, but fight the demon!" Kase ordered, trying to wipe blood out of his eyes. "Just stop getting so emotionally drawn into yourself!"

Ken unsheathed the blades of his bugnuks. "Remember, you took advantage of this human's emotional instability as well," he reminded. He stabbed his blades into Kase's shoulders, and immediately yanked them out. Blood flowed uncontrollably from Kase's new puncture wounds.

"Pathetic," Ken insulted. He pulled his arms back in preparation to stab his bugnuks into Kase again, but this time Kase caught Ken's wrists. He then forced the possessed knight hunter to send the blades into his own chest and slash downward. As Ken's limp body fell to the ground, a black mist escaped from his wounds before they closed up.

"Ken, are you all right?" Kase asked, turning the brunette over on his back.

"No, I won't let you possess me!" Ken screamed, still not fully conscious. Instinctively, he slashed the blades of his left bugnuk across Kase's throat. Kase's hands went up to his bleeding throat and he threw up blood, some of which landed on Ken's face. Ken's green eyes widened as he realized what he just did. "No, Kase…I-I didn't mean to…" he apologized.

"Ken…" Kase was barely able to force out Ken's name. He lifted Ken up in his arms and then rested his chin on the brown-haired assassin's shoulder. "I'm…sorry…" His body slowly dissolved into millions of tiny, glowing particles that went up into the broken sky.

"Wait, Kase!" Ken begged, getting back on his feet. His right shoulder was strained with the blood from Kase's slit throat. He looked down at his soiled bugnuks and started using his shredded shirt to clean the blood off the blades as tears rolled down his face.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"Sakura, stay here!" Aya ordered firmly as he pushed Sakura into a small warehouse that was not far from where Yumeki and Kodoku were battling. "I'm going back to help Mayu."

Aya had been acting colder than usual. While he was getting Sakura away from the fight, he had not looked at her even once and spoke only a few words to her. Sakura didn't like it when Aya was so cold and it worried her.

"Ran-kun, wait," Sakura pleaded, wrapping her arms around Aya's waist from behind. "Be careful. Come back, okay?"

Aya turned around and gently kissed Sakura's hair. "I'll come back," he promised.

"I love you, Ran-kun." For some strange reason, Sakura felt the need to have to repeat that to Aya.

"I love you, too." Suddenly, Aya didn't want to leave Sakura. He wanted to stay in her soft embrace, but he knew he couldn't let Yumeki fight Kodoku alone. It was his battle, after all. He pried Sakura's arms from his waist and left the warehouse without saying another word to the young girl.

Sakura leaned against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. She knew Aya was doing all this for her, and that made her happy. What made her sad was that Aya was prepared to sacrifice his life for her. Sakura didn't want that. She didn't want Aya to die. She wanted him to stay alive, so that she could be with him.

Sakura even knew of his suicide attempt, and why he had tried to kill himself. Omi had told her that, saying she had a right to know how far Aya was willing to go to ensure her safety. Aya had been totally unaware of that.

Sakura had seen that Aya was going through a lot of pain and grief. His purple eyes had carried a sad look for a while now, ever since she had given him the white cross necklace for his birthday.

The truth then became clear to her. Aya's pain and grief was all her fault. If only she hadn't brought him the Weiß Kreuz, then he wouldn't know of Resurgere and what his existence truly meant.

She then remembered what happened with Kage. She had been partly responsible for his death. Lucifer had killed him out of jealousy. But there was no reason to be jealous. Kage only saw Sakura as a close friend. There were times when his feelings towards her seemed stronger, but that was when he was unable to tell reality from his shadow world. During those times, he saw Nadeshiko in place of Sakura. So he really never loved Sakura in the same way as his fiancée. But still, that didn't change the fact that Kage had been killed because of Lucifer's jealousy. Some friend Sakura had been then. Some girlfriend she was now.

Sakura slid down to the floor as tears escaped from her cherry blossom eyes. She buried her face in her knees as she continued to blame herself for all of Aya's sorrow.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya charged for Kodoku with his katana held out in front of him. The demon evaded the katana, but then Aya started to slash repeatedly and swiftly. It was a wonder Kodoku could dodge all of Aya's attacks, but it was obvious he wouldn't be able to continue doing so.

Yumeki, however, was hanging back. He would only jump in if Aya seriously needed his help, and that seemed unlikely. He really didn't want to fight Kodoku, and it was obvious that Kodoku didn't want to battle him, either. Even though it seemed as if Kodoku was nothing more than some traitorous sadist now, he was still Yumeki's friend. Yumeki scratched at the rash on his left arm, which appeared to have grown slightly larger.

"Just give up!" Kodoku screamed as he punched Aya hard across the face, sending him into a pile of debris. He created a black energy blade and flew towards Aya, ready to stab his weapon into Aya.

Aya quickly recovered from Kodoku's blow. He rolled away to avoid the demon's energy blade and jabbed the hilt of his katana into Kodoku's stomach.

If Aya wanted to win this fight, he would have to call on Resurgere's power. His human abilities were no match for Kodoku's demon abilities, however "weak" the Kodoku was compared to other demons. On the other hand, if he lost control of Resurgere's power, he would kill his sister.

But that was only if he lost control of the fallen angel. Aya had sworn that he would not do that. If he only used a little power, his sister was safe. He had made his decision. He would use only a small bit of Resurgere's power, and it would be enough to defeat Kodoku.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

The Weiß Kreuz around the neck of Aya's sister began glowing, but stopped about as abruptly as it started. It now only shimmered the tiniest bit. It wasn't even noticeable.

_Good work, brother,_ the comatose girl complimented. It almost looked as if she was smiling.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

How Kodoku managed to deflect all of Aya's relentless attacks was a mystery even to himself. But he wouldn't be able to do so for much longer. Aya didn't look as if he was growing exhausted at all while Kodoku was more exhausted than he ever thought was possible. He couldn't just fly away due to Aya's speed, and he was too preoccupied with blocking his opponent's attacks to do anything else.

_This speed, it can't be Fujimiya's,_ Kodoku thought. He then saw that Aya's eyes were slightly brighter, and they resembled amethysts instead of orchids. _Those eyes, _the demon noticed. _They're Resurgere's!_

In surprise, Kodoku paused just for a second, but that measly distraction gave Aya the chance to cut off the demon's left wing. Kodoku screamed loudly as he blew Aya back into the brick wall of a partially destroyed building with extreme force. Kodoku fell to his knees as he breathed heavily. Blood gushed freely from the severed wing. The pain he was in was indescribable.

Aya, using his katana for support, slowly got back on his feet. He did not survive Kodoku's attack unharmed, but none of his bruises were life-threatening. His eyes returned to their normal orchid color as he condensed Resurgere's power. He no longer needed it, considering the weakened state Kodoku was in. Aya stepped up to the demon and raised his katana, ready to slash it downwards.

"Fujimiya, stop!" Yumeki begged. "You've already won. Don't kill Kodoku, please!"

If Aya heard Yumeki's plead, he made no sign. He swung his katana down swiftly, but before it struck Kodoku-

"Ran-kun!"

Aya brought himself to a halt and looked in the direction the voice had come from. "Sakura!" he exclaimed, almost forgetting about Kodoku.

"Don't kill him," Sakura requested in a soft voice, her eyes watery. "Don't kill anyone anymore, please…" Tears leaked out of her eyes as she gazed down sorrowfully at her feet.

"Sakura…" Aya said quietly, unable to say or do more.

Kodoku saw his chance. He pried Aya's katana from the redhead's hand and dashed towards Sakura. "Die!" he yelled as he slashed across Sakura's stomach. He then seized her throat and squeezed tightly. "Don't take this personally," he whispered into Sakura's ear, enjoying the sight of her struggling to breathe. "I just want to see Fujimiya in pain."

"Kodoku, what are you doing?" Yumeki demanded to know, completely outraged at Kodoku's cruelty. He tackled Kodoku and forced the demon to release both Sakura and Aya's katana.

Aya ran towards Sakura and picked her up in his arms. He went over to the destroyed fountain and laid her on the rim. "Sakura, I told you to stay away," he reminded Sakura, taking her hand into his own. "I didn't want you to be hurt." He sighed softly. "You shouldn't have tried to stop me. I'm just a murderer. I'm supposed to kill people."

"Ran-kun…" Sakura said weakly. "I just didn't want you to lose your humanity." She started coughing harshly, and blood spat out of her mouth.

Aya wiped the blood trailing from Sakura's mouth away and lifted her up in his arms. He eased his lips lovingly over hers so that he could share one final kiss with her. More tears escaped from Sakura's pink eyes as she tried to savor the warm taste of Aya's lips.

Soon Aya reluctantly pulled his lips off Sakura's. "I love you, Sakura," he reminded her, just like she had done a little while ago.

"I love you too, Ran," Sakura whispered quietly as she softly touched Aya's pale face. Her warm cherry blossom eyes closed and her arms fell to the sides of her lifeless body.

Aya cradled Sakura's head against his chest as tears began to form in his cold orchid eyes. He gently ran his fingers through Sakura's delicate brown hair as he lightly kissed her forehead. He then placed her dead body back down on the fountain rim. He stood up, and looked towards Kodoku, who was battling with Yumeki.

"I'll kill you…" Aya hissed. He picked up his bloodstained katana and charged for Kodoku. But quite suddenly, Satan appeared in front of Aya and blew him and Yumeki away from Kodoku. The Devil then seized the demon by the throat and called Sakura's body to Him while He flew up into the air. Aya threw his katana at Satan, but the Devil vanished before it stuck Him, along with Kodoku and Sakura's lifeless body.

"Kiseki…Satan…" Aya whispered harshly. "I'll kill you all!"

_I don't care if you were an assassin. I still believed in you, Ran. You were the one I truly loved. At first I thought you only saw me as a replacement for your sister, but when I discovered you shared my feelings, I was so happy. I would've loved to meet Aya-chan sometime, though. I'm sure we would've been great friends. Ran, even when we're reborn into the new life, I'll always love you. You are the one I care for most. I love you, and I hope we meet again in the new life._


	23. Kens Schmerz

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit

A/N: In this chapter, there is a small reference to the Dramatic Precious CDs. (Yes, those super-mega-ultra disturbing things. I know how some of you prefer to pretend they don't exist.) The reference is very slight, so all you need to know is that Aya had a sword master named Shion, and he was the one to give Aya his katana.

Kapitel 22: Kens Schmerz  
_/To be free from pain/  
/Isn't that what everyone wants?/  
/That is impossible/  
/Or I'd have been free from this pain long ago/_

Kodoku was down in Hell, waiting for the rest of his punishment. His severed wing had stopped bleeding, but the rest of his body was not in good shape. The right side of his face was brutally beaten and he could not open his right eye. His left arm had been twisted badly and was now completely limp. With his good arm, he clutched his bleeding abdomen, which had been punctured several times by Satan's pitchfork. His legs felt frail and weak, and they could barely support him. He drew in sharp and raspy breathes. It was almost too much to even breathe.

Satan stood in front of Kodoku, His narrow blood-red eyes void of any emotions. "Demon Kiseki Kodoku," He began, "not only did you fail in your mission, you also disobeyed direct orders by killing Sakura-chan."

Kodoku was barely listening. He hardly felt any pain. He was even more emotionless at this moment, if such a thing was possible.

"Kodoku, the only thing you desire is to be alone, is it not?" Satan guessed. A cruel smirk formed on His face. "I shall fulfill that desire."

Kodoku glanced up at the Devil, the slightest traces of a puzzled look on his face. It was true that he only wanted to be alone. He wondered what Satan was planning.

Satan pointed his vermilion pitchfork at Kodoku. "I am sending you to Limbo for eternity," He said. "You will never be reborn. You will be alone, forever." A sadistic gleam shone in His eyes.

The Devil closed His eyes and His glowing symbol appeared underneath Kodoku. "Unholy oblivion," He chanted, His crimson cloak flying upward. "I offer to you, the soul of this worthless demon." Red light shot up from the inverted pentagram beneath Kodoku.

"Wait, you've got this all wrong!" Kodoku screamed. "I don't want to go to Limbo for eternity!" There were hints of tears in his brown eyes. "I don't wanna be alone for-"

He was too late. A thick, spirit-like mist ripped out of Kodoku's back as he screamed loudly. It looked like black claws were tearing open the skin of his back. It was quite gruesome. His blood flew everywhere, and some of it landed on Satan. The black mist was absorbed into the inverted pentagram as Kodoku's body slowly faded to nothing.

"May you suffer for eternity," Satan wished, His voice quiet. He turned around and looked towards the altar, where Sakura's dead body lay. She had been cleaned of all the blood that was on her. She appeared now as if she was only in a deep slumber, and not dead. But she was dead, and there was no way to change that.

Satan went over to the altar and touched Sakura's forehead. "So this is what loss feels like," He mumbled. "It's such a painful feeling. Humans are strong, if they can experience loss all the time." He slid His hand downwards and traced Sakura's lips. "Sakura-chan, I have you now, but it's not the way I wanted. I wanted to capture your heart, so that you would love only me." He placed His hand on the young girl's chest, over her heart. He had hoped to feel her heartbeat, but there was nothing.

He touched the golden earring dangling from Sakura's left ear. It was similar to the second pair of earrings He had; the difference was that His were sharp and could be used as weapons if needed. He then detached the earring from Sakura's earlobe and stabbed it into His left ear. Vivid red blood trickled down the side of His neck from the hole formed by the new earring.

It felt strange to feel blood. Satan had never bled before; it didn't seem possible. But maybe now He could bleed because of how He was changing.

He bent over Sakura's body and held His face close to hers. "I only wish that you had embraced me in your arms and kissed me of your own free will," He confessed. He lightly kissed Sakura's cold, lifeless lips. "I would've liked that." A faint smile appeared on His face. "Part of me is glad that you are dead. You see, loving you was…changing me." His straightened His back and left the altar.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya repeatedly stabbed his katana into a wooden telephone pole. He was still worked up over Sakura's death. He wanted to get rid of Kodoku more than anything. But, despite how outraged he seemed, he was still able to condense Resurgere's power. He knew Sakura would never forgive him if he destroyed what remained of the world just to avenge her.

He clutched the hilt of his katana tighter and leaned against it. His former sword master Shion once told him that he was to use his sword to protect others. But when did he ever do that? All he ever used his katana for was to deny dark beasts their tomorrows. And what did he do that for? Money. Even though he needed that money to pay for his sister's hospital bills, it still did not give him the right to murder people.

Besides, he couldn't protect anybody with his katana. That was made clear to him when Kodoku killed Sakura. And with his own katana. He had tried to clean it of Sakura's blood, but faint traces of a metallic red color still shone on the silver blade. If Shion could see his former pupil now… Aya began stabbing the telephone pole again in a pathetic attempt to vent his anger.

Yumeki was lying on the rim of the fountain, thinking deeply about many things. Aya's reaction over Sakura's death had affected him greatly, reminding him of the fact he had been the one to send Aoi to Limbo. "Hey Fujimiya, do you think this 'Last Judgment' will end the Krieg von Tränen?" he asked suddenly.

"I can't answer that," Aya said without looking at Yumeki. "I've never actually fought in the Krieg von Tränen."

"Well, I don't think the war will end," Yumeki admitted as he sat up. "I mean, you can't end a war without knowing the cause."

Aya paused. "You fight without knowing why you're fighting?" he reworded the statement.

"It's strange, isn't it?"

"You're too loyal."

Yumeki sighed. "Yeah, I kinda noticed that," he replied. He stood up. "I need to be alone now." He disappeared, leaving Aya all by himself.

Aya sheathed his katana. He was tired of just blinding stabbing his katana into a pole. He decided he should go find Ken, but he wasn't sure if he should tell the brunette about Yoji's and Sakura's deaths.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Ken held the points of his bugnuks' blades close to his throat. He was sitting on the rooftop of a large church. He wanted to send the blades into his throat, but he remembered that Yoji didn't want him to commit suicide.

_Why do I still cling to life? _Ken wondered. _There's nothing left for me in this world._ He studied the cuts on his arms. _I wonder what the others would've said about how I've cut myself…?_

Ken stood up and walked over to the steeple, which had a tall, thin cross on top of it. He leaned against the steeple and lightly touched the cross as he smiled half-heartedly. The cross reminded him of the burden of his pain, as if it symbolized that burden. He thought about the Weiß Kreuz, and how it was like a burden Aya used to wear around his neck.

_Aya, this really has been the hardest on you,_ Ken thought. _I would never know you felt. I mean, forcing me to promise to kill you if you lost control of Resurgere…_ He sighed and was about to close his dull green eyes, but then he saw Aya looking up at him. Ken quickly backed away, hoping that Aya had not seen him, but it would do him no good.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Jehovah leaned against an old tree as he watched a group of little children kick a soccer ball around to each other. He knew that it would be better if he sent the children peacefully to Limbo instead of a demon doing the same thing violently, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. They were just innocent children, after all.

Jehovah sighed heavily. It seemed like the Last Judgment had been going on for much longer than merely half a day. The children were like survivors, oblivious to all the chaos that was around them. They were carefree and innocent, ignorant of the cruel fate awaiting them. It was strange, perhaps even impossible. And yet there those children were.

A little girl stepped up to Jehovah. "Are you sure you don't wanna play with us, sir?" she asked.

"Would you really want to play with an old man like me?" Jehovah replied with a smile. Several times the children asked if he wanted to play with them, but he politely declined every time.

"Okay, but if you change your mind, you can always join us!" the little girl reminded happily. She went back to her friends and they resumed kicking the soccer ball around.

Jehovah started to leave, but not before he took one last glance at the children. He walked on forward, thinking that he would just get an angel to send those children peacefully. But it did seem selfish of him to get an angel to do something he himself could not do. He tried not to think about it as he continued to wander around.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya soon found his way onto the church rooftop. It didn't take him long. He appeared sad, as if he had to tell Ken something he didn't want to tell the brunette.

Ken took a few steps closer to the edge of the roof, although he had no intention of jumping off. "What do you want?" he asked Aya.

Aya was about to advance closer to Ken, but then stopped when he saw how close Ken was to the ledge. "Ken, what are you doing here?" Aya wanted to know.

"I'm trying to stay away from you and Yoji," Ken answered, his voice so quiet it was as if he was whispering. "I was possessed by another demon, but this time Kase was trying to help me. But what did I do to repay him? I slit his throat open! What if I do that to you or Yoji? I can't take that chance."

Aya turned his face away from Ken's. "You have no fear of that," he said. "Yoji's dead. Mayu killed him." He then suddenly remembered that he never did ask Yumeki why he killed Yoji. However, he found that he didn't care. But that made him feel like he really was no more than some sadistic murderer.

Ken looked down at his feet. "I see…" he replied. "What about Sakura? Is she dead too?"

Aya's hands went up to his throat as he nodded his head very slightly. He couldn't bring himself to verbally admit Sakura was dead.

"It had something to do with Resurgere, didn't it?" Ken guessed, looking up at Aya. "You always touch your scar when you think about him."

"It's just that I couldn't protect her, even when I was in control of Resurgere," Aya added, sorrow in his orchid eyes. It hurt him deeply to acknowledge that fact.

Ken turned his face away. "Aya, I need you to do me one last thing."

"What is it?"

"Kill me…"

It was now clear that Ken's sanity was becoming questionable. What little remained of it must have been shattered when Aya told him of Yoji's and Sakura's deaths. "No," Aya refused flatly.

Ken unsheathed his bugnuks. "Then I have to keep my promise," he decided. "Omi told me that you once lost control of Resurgere's power. You wanted me to kill you if that ever happened." He charged for Aya and his bugnuks collided with the redhead's scabbard. Ken jumped back and slashed at Aya again, but this time Aya swayed to one side to dodge the blades.

"Ken, what will killing me do?" Aya demanded to know, pulling his katana free of its sheath.

"What will delaying the inevitable do?" Ken countered. He jumped up into the air in an attempt to bring his bugnuks down on Aya, but the red-haired assassin blocked them with his katana. Ken then sent his foot into Aya's stomach and pushed him towards the ledge. Aya, realizing how close he was to falling off, regained his footing, but once again his sword clashed with the blades of Ken's weapons.

The only thing Ken's mind was focused on was this fight. He wanted to cause Aya all the pain he had ever experienced in his whole life. He felt resentment towards Aya because of the fact that Aya hadn't seemed to have been affected by the peaceful atmosphere of Heaven whereas Ken was. He even felt hatred because of the promise he was forced to make to Aya. That promise just caused him even more pain.

Aya did not want to kill Ken, but Ken just would not give up. Aya deflected the bugnuk of Ken's left hand, but he had forgotten about the other bugnuk. Ken saw this and stabbed the four blades into Aya's left shoulder. Aya kicked the Ken in the chest to push him back. The shoulder wound was not deep, but it would be difficult for Aya to use his left arm for a while.

Ken recovered quickly and charged for Aya again. Aya raised his katana to defend himself. Ken halted as soon as the sword's blade was dangerously close to his throat, but his bugnuks were pointed at the jugular veins in both sides of Aya's neck. Neither one of two knight hunters would be able to attack without ending up with a blade in his neck. They were stuck in a stalemate.

It was then Aya first noticed the scars and wounds on Ken's arms. Some of them were still fresh, while others did not seem to have healed correctly because of being cut open so many times. "Ken, those cuts…you're been cutting yourself, haven't you?" Aya asked, his voice less cold. "I should've noticed earlier, but-"

"You were too wrapped up in your own problems, just like the rest of us," Ken finished. "But that's all right. I didn't want help anyway. Omi once tried to help, but I just pushed him away."

"Ken…" Aya said softly.

Ken pulled his bugnuks away from Aya's jugular veins and turned his back to the other assassin. "Aya, I never wanted to keep that promise," he admitted. "I hated having to make it, and I hated the burden it carried. I even began to hate you for forcing me to promise such a thing. When you went to Hell, I was happy you wanted to go alone. If you lost control of Resurgere there, then I wouldn't be forced to take your life."

Ken sighed heavily and turned to face Aya. "That promise brought on pain," he continued. "I was in so much pain already, I wondered why you thought I would be the best one to trust. You see, I've been in so much pain ever since we accidentally stumbled onto the gateway to Heaven. It seemed that you weren't affected by Heaven's peacefulness, while I was, and I started to resent you for that. I wondered why you weren't affected, but God said it was because you could deal with your pain."

"Ken, what are you getting at?" Aya wanted to know as he sheathed his katana.

A weak smile slowly came upon Ken's sad lips. "I'm unable to deal with my pain, even though it feels as if my entire life has been pain," he said. "God told me it's impossible to be used to pain. But it is possible to end it." He started walking towards the edge of the rooftop.

"You're not planning to kill yourself, are you?!" Aya yelled, losing his cold demeanor.

Ken looked back at Aya as a tear escaped from his left eye. "Aya; you, Omi, and Yoji were great friends," he said. "I hope we meet again in the new life." He leaned back and fell off the roof, but Aya was able to seize Ken's right wrist with his left hand; however, the sprain of his wounded shoulder prevented him from pulling Ken back up.

"Aya, let me go," Ken ordered calmly. "I'm too weak to live. I want to end my pain."

"Ken, shut up about that!" Aya replied harshly. His grip on Ken's wrist was slipping.

Another tear escaped from Ken's eye. "I'm sorry," he apologized. He lightly cut Aya's hand with his free bugnuk. Aya, in surprise, accidentally released Ken's wrist. As Ken was falling to the ground, he sent his bugnuks into his chest to ensure his death.

"Ken, no!" Aya screamed, but he was too late. Ken's body was already on the ground. His neck was broken and blood spilled from the open wound on his chest. He was dead for certain.

Aya sat back, away from the ledge. He barely felt the pain in his left shoulder. His hands went up to the ring-like scar around his neck. "Everyone…everyone's leaving…" he said to himself. "There's nothing left for me in this world. Resurgere can't heal Aya, Sakura's been killed, and now all my friends are gone…" It was the first time he had ever referred to the other members of Weiß as his friends. "I should join them…"

"You know, you can end this world's suffering quickly," reminded a familiar chilling voice behind Aya.

Aya stood up and hastily whirled around to face Lucifer. "What do you want, Satan?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Right now, I'm Lucifer Flagrare, not Satan," Lucifer corrected. "But if you want to see Satan so badly-" he swung his arm in an arc to engulf himself in fire, thus transforming into his true form as the Devil, "-here He is."

Aya laid his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Go away," he hissed. "I'll never forgive You for what You had done to Sakura."

"I never ordered Kodoku to kill her," Satan corrected. "In fact-" He hesitated, "-I loved Sakura-chan, so I know how you feel!"

"What?!" Aya exclaimed. He had never expected Satan to say anything even close to that.

_I always saw my life as pain. I could never do anything about it, so it remained trapped inside of me, eating away at my heart. I started cutting myself, but it wasn't the right thing to do. I just caused myself even more pain. I had three wonderful friends who were willing to help me, so why did I always push them away? I guess I was afraid of how they would react. That was silly. I realize that now. Aya, Omi, Yoji, when we meet again in the new life, I'll be stronger. I won't let my pain affect me anymore._


	24. Ayas Wut

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit

Kapitel 23: Ayas Wut  
_/I hate this feeling/  
/I want to get rid of it/  
/It's not me/  
/I'm nothing but a heartless sadist/_

The little baby, wrapped in a dirty white blanket, continued to cry loudly as God cradled her in His arms. The Almighty had found the baby in a rocker with the parents' dead bodies nearby. It appeared that the parents had been killed when their house had collapsed on them during the start of the Last Judgment. The baby, however, was perfectly fine.

"Hush, little baby," God requested, gently rocking the baby in His arms.

The baby soon calmed down. When she did, she looked rather happy. She reached out and started playing with some of God's dark hair.

God tenderly pried the baby's small fingers from His hair. "It is a shame that you will not be able to experience this life," He said to the giggling baby. He held His hand over the baby in preparation to send her to Limbo, but He hesitated.

"To send such a young child seems wrong," God noticed. "Maybe Satan is right about me after all. Maybe we should become one again…"

"Hon…nee" the baby sounded. "…honey…"

"Is that your first word?" God asked, amused. "'Honey' is such an innocent word, just as you are. I cannot show favoritism, so I am unable to ensure this, but I hope you receive a good place in the new world." As the Almighty's hand began glowing, the baby closed her eyes and her body condensed down into a tiny ball of white light that was sucked up into the broken sky.

"This is wrong, I should not be doing this," God told Himself. "But I promised Aya that he would not be the end. I cannot allow anyone else to carry that burden."

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"You loved Sakura?" Aya repeated, rather shocked.

"Yes, I loved Sakura-chan," Satan said again. He smiled wickedly. He wanted to mess with Aya's mind a bit. "She even kissed me a few times."

Aya gripped the hilt of his katana tighter. "No, You're lying!" he yelled. "Sakura would never cheat on me!"

"I am not lying," the Devil said. "She did kiss me." He pushed His hair behind His left ear, revealing the golden dangling earring Aya had given to Sakura.

"You-!" Aya hissed harshly. He freed his katana and charged for Satan. The Devil caught the sword's blade, but Aya then pushed his scabbard into Satan's stomach.

"You've improved," Satan commented. He then grabbed Aya by his forehead and threw him into the steeple.

As Aya got back on his feet, Satan stepped up to him. "But let's see how much you've improved with controlling Resurgere," the Devil suggested as His vermilion pitchfork appeared in His hand. He slashed the sharp end at Aya, but Aya blocked the pitchfork's blade with his katana and jumped back to avoid another strike from Satan's weapon.

"Awaken now," Satan ordered in a devious tone. "You are meant to destroy the world. Your power is wasted on saving your sister. In Resurgere's current state, he cannot lift my curse."

"Is that so?" Aya replied. "Then You will end up just like Takatori Reiji." He held his katana horizontally in front of him as his eyes became brighter like amethysts. In a flash of light, he was up to Satan, about to stab his sword into the Devil's stomach, but Satan quickly reacted by teleporting behind Aya.

Aya swiftly whirled around and swung his sword at Satan, but He blocked it with His pitchfork. Aya pulled his katana back and slashed again at Satan. The Devil found it increasing difficult to deflect the redhead's relentless and repeated attacks.

"I will kill You for everything," Aya promised as he continued to attack Satan. "For hurting Sakura, for cursing my sister, and for making me a danger to everyone around me!" He blew Satan back with an invisible blast. The Devil would've fallen off the church if not for His three pairs of demonic wings.

"You act like you really loved Sakura-chan," Satan noticed. "But you only saw her as a replacement for your comatose sister. At least I loved her for who she was!" He flew towards Aya and sent His knee hard into the knight hunter's stomach. Aya was pushed backwards, and then Satan punched him across the face before he could recover, thus knocking him off his feet.

Satan slowly went back down to the church's roof. "Ran, if you do kill me, what will it do?" He asked Aya.

"At least I will die with no regrets," Aya answered, pointing his katana at Satan. Silver ribbons of light shot out from the tip and immobilized the Devil's body. Satan broke free of the binding ribbons, but that gave Aya time to fire a crimson blade beam from his katana. Satan flew up into the air to evade the blade beam; however, it followed Him. He seized the blade beam and forced it to vanish, but not before it cut His palm. Vivid red blood gushed from the cut.

"So He can bleed," Aya noticed. He jumped onto the steeple and lunged for Satan. The Devil grasped the redhead's wrists and threw him down through the roof into the interior of the church. Satan then flew down into the inside as well, with his pitchfork aimed at Aya, but the assassin rolled away before it struck him.

The inside of the church was quite plain, and debris from the hole in the roof slowly fell. There were several rows of pews and the walls were a soft gray, but the most striking thing was the large, shining crucifix near the front, where Aya had landed. Satan began to advance toward him.

"You wonder why I can bleed now?" Satan guessed, His red eyes holding a wild look. "It is because I am changing. As the Devil, I should not have fallen in love with anyone. Yet I love Sakura-chan." Before Aya had a chance to react, Satan had grabbed him by his face and shoved him up against the large crucifix.

"No matter what you told Sakura-chan, you only saw her as a replacement for your sister," Satan continued, faint traces of fire erupting around the hand that was clutching Aya's face. "Sakura-chan loved you, even after I told her the truth about you. I don't know what she saw in you. I loved her for who she was, which is more than I can say about you!" He prepared to send the erupting fire into Aya's face, but the redhead kicked Him in the chest. In mild surprise, He released Aya's face.

"You're wrong," Aya countered, breathing heavily. "For a while, I may have saw Sakura as a replacement for Aya, but I don't any longer. I also loved her for who she was. She was the only person outside of Weiß that I trusted."

"You'd like to believe that, wouldn't you?" Satan replied. "You are such a fool. It's hard to believe that you are the Kiseki no Hoshi." He punched Aya across the face and sent the assassin towards a wall. He then threw His knee into Aya's stomach, thus causing the redhead to cough up blood. Aya swung his katana at Satan, but the Devil caught the blade and yanked it out of his hands. After that, Satan aimed the middle point of His pitchfork at Aya's throat.

"I wanted you to use Resurgere's power to end this miserable world's life so that God realized the truth about Himself," Satan admitted. "I wanted to change my nature of being completely evil. But if that happened, I would no longer physically exist. And if I did not physically exist, I could not be with Sakura-chan."

A weak laugh escaped from Him. "I originally flirted with Sakura-chan to make you angry," He went on. "I wanted to make you jealous, and then have that jealousy turn into hatred and anger. But I began to fall in love with her, and that was my greatest downfall. I no longer cared about Resurgere or my evil nature. I only wanted to kill you. You toyed with my dear Sakura-chan's feelings. For that reason alone, I will kill you. It wouldn't be bad if Resurgere awakened then and destroyed the world. At least I will see one of my goals fulfilled."

"Shut up!" Aya screamed as his eyes glowed even brighter. He smacked Satan's pitchfork away from his throat and pushed the Devil back into the opposite wall with extreme force.

Aya called his katana to his hand and charged for Satan. The Devil deflected Aya's sword, but then Aya jumped back and collected white energy in his free hand, which he fired at Satan. The white energy blast nailed Satan in the stomach, knocking the wind out of Him. Blood flew out of His mouth. Before He had a chance to recover, Aya was once again right up to Him. The redhead stabbed his katana into Satan's shoulder, but the Devil pushed Aya back before the blade was jabbed too far.

_How is this possible?_ Satan asked Himself, clutching His bleeding shoulder. _I cannot be losing. Resurgere isn't awakened enough yet. Unless he is much more powerful than I thought…_ He got back on His feet and harpooned His pitchfork at Aya. His weapon and Aya's sword collided with each other. Satan then forced hellfire to emit from the three points of the pitchfork. Aya teleported behind the Devil before he was burnt by the fire.

Satan had grown quite outraged at the tide of this battle. "I will not lose to some fallen black angel of destruction!" He screamed. He engulfed Himself in fire and then collected the fire into a sphere above His head. He pointed His index finger up at the fireball and swung the burning sphere down at Aya. The assassin made no effort to escape the fireball's path. Instead, he caught the fireball and threw it back at Satan. The Devil, in shock of His own attack being turned against Him, did nothing to block the fireball. It struck Him right in the torso, shoving Him back into the crucifix.

"How can you do all this?" Satan demanded to know as He recovered from the blow of His own fireball. "You cannot be this powerful!"

"Darkness cannot win alone, as light cannot win alone," Aya explained in a stoic voice. "I am both light and darkness; therefore my power is endless."

"How is that?" Satan mocked. "How can you be both light and darkness when your power will bring destruction?"

"I don't believe in fate!" Aya yelled angrily. He held his katana straight up and laid his first two fingers on the flat of the blade. The sword illuminated a pale, holy blue glow. Aya spun his sword around and the blue glow manifested into a ghostly-shaped energy blast that went for Satan. The Devil put His pitchfork out in front of Him to block Aya's attack. It was too difficult for Satan to defend Himself against the energy blast, and it finally overcome Him and knocked Him off His feet. His pitchfork flew out of His hands.

Aya stepped up to Satan, who was down on His knees. "Do You believe me now?" the redhead asked, both his voice and face void of all emotions.

"I told you, I will not lose to you!" Satan repeated. "I will not- no, cannot be defeated by the man who toyed with the feelings of my dear Sakura-san!" He had no idea why He used "-san" instead of "-chan," but He didn't care. His bare fists His only weapon now, He went to attack Aya once again. The redhead avoided Satan's fists and sent the hilt of his katana into the Devil's back.

Satan recovered quickly from that blow and retrieved His pitchfork. He harpooned His weapon at Aya, but it was deflected by the redhead's katana. The two fighters continued to attack each as they began to lose all sense of anything else except for the battle. Their blood flew everywhere as they were wounded by the other's weapon. Finally Aya, sick of this fight, halted suddenly and pointed his katana directly at Satan's heart.

"Power of what is neither good nor evil," Aya recited, drawing a cross in the air with his sword. "Humans from which this power comes, I command you, give me that pureness!" White light that almost appeared to be solid shot out from the tip of the blade and impaled through Satan's chest. Blood gushed out from the wound as He fell to the floor of the church. His blood flowed towards the crucifix.

Aya was severely weakened by the attack he just used. He went down to his knees to converse what remained of his energy as his eyes returned to their normal orchid color.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

The Weiß Kreuz, still on the neck of Aya's sister, had been pulsing strongly, but soon the glow slowly died. And when it did, the white cross necklace appeared much duller than it ever had.

The unconscious girl's heart monitor made a few desperate last beeps before going completely silent.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Satan was dying. It was a strange feeling, but He welcomed it. Death would provide Him with the peace He had thought He would never have. He would not be able become one with God again as He had hoped, but He almost didn't care. Death would erase His evil nature, and maybe He would be reunited with Sakura in Limbo. He touched the Rot Kreuz lying on His chest. The cross's glow was dying along with its owner.

He looked over at Aya. The violet-eyed assassin was down on his knees, and a crazed yet sorrowful look was on his face. "Ran, why don't you finish me off now?" the Devil requested. "You promised you would kill me several times."

"I killed her…" Aya whispered, grasping the scar around his neck. "She's dead now, all because of me… Why did I…?"

Satan had no idea what Aya was talking about, nor did He care. Very slowly, He got back on His feet as He clutched His bleeding chest, and He stepped over to Aya. "Ran, I must confess something to you," He said. "In a way, I did lie to you about Sakura-chan. She never kissed me, but I kissed her a few times. And she didn't give the earring to me. I took it from her dead body. I really did love her. I wanted her to be my queen so that she would be safe from the apocalypse. But she refused. Her love for you was too great." He smiled softly. "If she had returned my feelings, I may very well have forgotten about my goal."

"Your goal?" Aya repeated, not even bothering to look up at the Devil.

Satan coughed harshly. It was becoming hard for Him to talk. "With my power alone, I can never hope to destroy this world," He continued. "But your power can. I want you to end this miserable world's life so that God is hurt enough to realize the truth about Himself! He's not as perfect as people are made to believe!" He covered His mouth with His hand as He went down to His knees. Blood oozed from between His fingers.

"That was back when we were one," someone corrected behind Aya.

"Evil only results from an imbalance of light and darkness, God," Satan told the Almighty. "You should know that best." Again He started coughing roughly, and more blood spat out of His mouth.

"Satan, as an act of forgiveness, I will give You what You have always wanted," God promised. "Eternal peace." He raised His hand and quietly snapped His fingers. Satan's red eyes closed and His body fell to the ground. His face appeared more peaceful than ever thought possible.

God walked over to Satan's dead body and kneeled over. "You have become quite human," He noticed. "Maybe if we were not enemies, I may have been able to help You."

"God, what was Satan talking about?" Aya asked, frustrated. "What did He mean when He said that You are not as perfect as people are made to believe?"

God stood up and faced Aya. His blue eyes were nothing more than narrow slits now. "It is difficult to believe you are the one angels saw as the Kiseki no Hoshi."

"What do You mean by that?!" Aya demanded to know, more enraged than before.

"You realize that, by unleashing that much of Resurgere's power, you have killed your own sister," God responded. "I told you that would happen if you used too much of his power."

"Yes, You did tell me," Aya remembered, his voice free of any feelings. "But I only wanted to end her suffering. Resurgere couldn't heal her soul."

"That is still no excuse for what you did," the Almighty countered.

Aya's hand balled up into a fist. "You have no idea what it's like to lose people close to You!" he screamed, fury in his pale eyes. He emitted powerful energy waves from his body, nearly knocking God off His feet. As the Almighty was defending himself against the powerful energy waves, Aya charged for Him with his katana raised. God blocked Aya's sword with His arms, for the sleeves of His robes were stronger than the steel blade.

Finally Aya, realizing he couldn't defeat God by just blinding attacking Him, jumped back and swung his katana downwards to fire a vivid red blade beam at the Almighty. God blocked the blade beam, but it let loose a lot of smoke. When the smoke finally parted, He saw that Aya was gone.

"I can no longer stop him," God thought. "He will end this world, but it is not his fault at all. No, this is all my fault. If only I had not been so insecure then…"

_I am evil by nature. I have been that way even before I was condemned to ruling over the damned for eternity. But I have always hated that. I wanted to become one with God again. However, if I did that, I would not physically exist anymore, and then I could not be with you. Sakura-chan, my love for you was making me become human. Part of me resented you for that. But I am glad I loved you. I am even glad I could suffer the emotion called "loss." Feeling "loss" just proved that I truly loved you._


	25. Kokons

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit

Kapitel 24: Kokons  
_/This cocoon I'm in/  
/My cocoon, formed out of loyalty/  
/Makes me blind to the truth/  
/I'm too wrapped up in a cocoon of loyalty/_

From the cliff on which he was standing, Yumeki looked up at the broken sky. His dark brown eyes held an empty look. His wings were folded against his back and his golden halo was very dim.

He really believed he did not belong in Heaven. He always thought he was evil. As a kid, he was a bad student. He received poor grades and he skipped school all the time. His parents barely cared about what he was doing. They were too busy with their jobs. Just to get rid of him, they forced him to join the military once he was out of high school.

After some number of years in the military, Yumeki met the young private Kiseki Kodoku. Kodoku had been trying to commit suicide, but Yumeki stopped him. They became close friends, despite their large age difference. Because of Kodoku's preference to be alone, Yumeki gave him the nickname "Lonely Miracle," which was what his name would be in English.

Exactly one year after Yumeki had met Kodoku, he was killed in combat. Standing in front of the Pearly Gates, he expected to be sentenced to suffer for eternity in Hell. But when God stepped up to him, the Almighty said, "Welcome to Heaven, Mayu Yumeki." He then smiled and added, "I see that you are surprised. It is really not that much of a surprise. While your childhood and teenage years were a waste, your adult years were completely different. You opened your heart to someone, and changed him. That is enough to get into Heaven."

Yumeki had changed quite a bit since he died. He had stopped being such a jerk and found someone that he loved. But now that he had sent Aoi to Limbo and fought against Kodoku, his loyalty to God was wavering. He hated that, and it made him feel more like a demon than an angel.

Yumeki jumped off the cliff and landed gracefully on his feet. He then walked forward into the ruins of Tokyo. He tried his hardest to ignore the pain from the rash on his left arm. He had no idea where it came from. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know, either.

He rubbed the sore spot. It was beginning to annoy him. _What is this?_ he wondered. He scratched at the rash, causing it to bleed a little. As it bled, the tiniest trace of a black mist escaped from it.

"A black mist…" Yumeki noticed. "The sign of a demon…"

ο ο ο ο ο ο

Aya stepped into his sister's hospital room. The first thing he saw was that the heart monitor was off. He went over to his sister and laid his hands on her face. Even through his black gloves, he could still feel that her face was colder than ice could ever be. He slid his hand up to her forehead and lightly stroked her bangs.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized to his sister. "I had no right to sacrifice you. What kind of brother am I?"

"A very lousy one," Resurgere answered, behind Aya.

"I didn't ask you," Aya snapped back.

"You used my power and killed the one person I've ever truly loved," Resurgere reminded, his voice becoming harsh. "How can I forgive you? If I could hurt you, you'd be dead now!"

"Shut up!" Aya screamed. "Just shut up and leave me alone!" He tore the Weiß Kreuz off his dead sister's neck and forced Resurgere to go back into the crystalline cross.

"I didn't ask for this burden," the red-haired assassin mumbled. "So don't yell at me like I had choices in what I did!" He pocketed the Weiß Kreuz and dashed out of the hospital.

Aya continued to run aimlessly through the destroyed city of Tokyo. He had nowhere left to go. The only thought going though his mind was the thought of committing suicide. "Neither Death nor the Devil, I am just a murderer," he said to himself. In his eyes, that had been true for quite some time, but now the words held more meaning. He had killed his own sister. Both Kodoku and Satan had called him a "black angel." That was all he was. Some murderous black angel that was destined to bring about the destruction of the world.

Aya eventually stopped running to catch his breath. He was kneeling over with his hands on his knees. Because of his wounds, he was feeling exhausted, but none of them were life threatening. However, the blood loss had weakened him greatly.

When he looked up, he saw that he was back at Yoji's and Omi's graves. He walked up closer to them. "I may very well be the last human left in this world," he guessed somberly. "I should die now. Just look at what I've done! I allowed you two to be killed, I couldn't protect Sakura, I emotionally destroyed Ken and caused him to commit suicide, and now I've killed my own sister! I deserve to die now…"

"If you deserved to die, then don't you think you would be dead now?" asked Yumeki behind Aya.

Aya turned around to face Yumeki. "What do you what?" he asked the angel.

"I asked, if you deserved to die, then don't you think you would be dead now?" Yumeki repeated, rubbing the rash on his arm. "I was killed when I became quite cruel towards my own soldiers. And now that I've sent Aoi, the one woman I've ever loved, to Limbo, fought against Kodoku, the one friend who got me into Heaven, and allowed my loyalty to God to waver, I once again deserve to die. The darkness inside me is engulfing my heart."

Aya moved his hand to the hilt of his katana. "Why are you telling me all this?" he wanted to know.

"As the reincarnation of Resurgere, you are meant to destroy the world," Yumeki said. "That has became common knowledge since the start of the Last Judgment. You see, I want you to send me to Limbo. If you're gonna destroy the world, you can start with me." Faint traces of black where scattered in the feathers of his white angelic wings.

Aya allowed the hand on the hilt of his sword to fall to his side. "No, I'm through with killing others," he refused, turning his face away. "I don't care if I am meant to be the end. I just want to die in peace."

"If you don't send me to Limbo, I will make your death long and painful," Yumeki threatened. He flew towards Aya and grabbed the redhead's arm to throw him into a pole, thus causing it to snap in half. Aya did not try to get back on his feet.

Yumeki stepped up to Aya, seized his throat, and lifted him off his feet. "Fight back," Yumeki ordered. "You don't deserve to die." He tightened his grip on Aya's throat. Aya choked, but he let his arms hang limply at his sides. He was doing nothing to prevent Yumeki from crushing his windpipe.

Yumeki was outraged at Aya's lack of motivation to survive. "You idiot!" he insulted as he continued to throttle Aya. "Do you really want to die that badly?" He started to repeatedly send his fist into Aya's stomach. When blood began to fly out of Aya's mouth, he threw his own fist into Yumeki's stomach. The angel then, in mild surprise, dropped Aya. Clutching his throat and using his katana for support, Aya slowly got back on his feet.

"Are you ready to fight me now?" Yumeki asked. His wings were slightly blacker now.

"I guess I'll die with some dignity," Aya decided, pulling his katana free of its scabbard. He swung it at Yumeki, but the angel deflected the sword with his dark energy blade. He and Aya both jumped back and charged for each other. Their weapons collided once again. Yumeki then began flapping his wings to create strong gales. They pushed Aya back, away from Yumeki.

"I think you should now that I'm not going without dignity, either," Yumeki warned Aya. He swung his dark energy blade in an arc, sending several spiral discs at Aya. Aya deflected the discs back at Yumeki with his katana. To dodge his own attack, Yumeki flew up into the air and made his energy discs vanish. He was not at all pleased at his attack being turned against him. He threw another spiral disc at Aya, this one aimed at Aya's neck. Aya didn't move, for he had no need to. The energy disc went harmlessly through his neck, as if the disc was only an illusion. Yumeki was quite shocked by this tactic.

"Resurgere does not want to die the same way twice," Aya explained, seeing the surprised expression on Yumeki's face. He pulled a knife out of his boot and hurled it at the powerful angel. Yumeki caught the knife, but as he did so, Aya was able to fire an energy blast that knocked Yumeki to the ground.

Aya raised his katana over his head in preparation to slash it down on Yumeki. The angel blocked the blade with his darkened left wing and kicked Aya in the shins. In surprise, Aya withdrew his sword. Seeing his chance, Yumeki seized Aya's neck with both hands and shoved him down to the ground.

"You're more powerful than God and Satan combined, yet you can't defeat me?" Yumeki assumed mockingly, tightening his grip on Aya's neck. "Why is that? Is it because I'm not worthy enough? Or is it because you're really not as powerful as you say you are?"

"I never said I was that powerful," Aya forced out, trying to pry Yumeki's fingers from his neck. His lungs felt as if they were on fire.

"But you believed it, didn't you?" Yumeki accused. "You lied to yourself. You can't even defeat some black angel."

At this point, all Yumeki wanted was to kill Aya. He had completely forgotten that he had originally wanted Aya to send him to Limbo. He was just a demonic black angel now. The rash on his left arm was a result of the darkness inside him engulfing his heart.

Also, Yumeki's loyalty to God had been wavering, ever since Aya had told him he was much too loyal. But before that, the angels had been talking. Because of God's decision to initialize the Last Judgment, they had seemed to believe that the Almighty wasn't as perfect as they wished. Naturally, Yumeki was offended by this, and wrapped himself up tighter in his cocoon of loyalty.

But his cocoon made him blind to reality. It was because of it he had been so foolish as to believe Kodoku's lies. His cocoon was his one protection, but at the cost of his sight. He was just too afraid to realize the truth about himself, Kodoku, and God.

Aya's face was beginning to appear a bit colorless. Yumeki saw this and continued to crush Aya's windpipe by pressing down on his throat. Now that Yumeki realized the truth about his reality, he no longer cared about anything.

Finally Aya could take no more. He did not want to die like this, with Yumeki strangling him. "Don't forget, I'm just some black angel, too," Aya reminded in a raspy voice. He forced Yumeki off of him by emitting powerful energy waves from his body. Even after Yumeki was off him, Aya continued to push the angel into what used to be a building. Aya soon ceased when he became very exhausted due to his body's limits. He fell to his knees, grasping his throat and breathing heavily.

"Fujimiya…" Yumeki said softly. He took a few steps closer to Aya, who was still down on his knees, recovering from the lack of air that Yumeki had caused.

Aya looked up at Yumeki. Color had returned to his slightly blue face. Murder resided in his pale eyes. "Mayu…" he hissed. "Fitting name…you're too wrapped up in a cocoon of loyalty to realize the truth."

"Shut up!" Yumeki ordered harshly, kicking Aya across the face. "I know I'm wrapped up too tightly inside a cocoon of loyalty. But I've been like that for twenty years. And I realize God may not be as perfect as we believe. But I don't care. My loyalty stills lies only to Him!"

"No, you are just too afraid to see the truth," Aya corrected. "Your cocoon makes you blind." He summoned his katana to his hand. "Now I will send you to Limbo." In such a fast motion Yumeki had no time to react, Aya had stabbed his sword through the angel's heart.

Yumeki curled his fingers around the blade in his heart. "Thank you, Aya," he said, tears escaping from his eyes. "Aoi, Kodoku… I'll be with the both of you shortly…" His body dissolved into millions of tiny particles that were sucked up into the broken sky. But he left something behind: a single white feather of his wings. Aya caught the feather and lightly stroked it with his index finger. He was actually saddened; he had never thought of Mayu Yumeki as a friend until now.

"Yumeki…" Aya whispered, the feather still in his hand. "I'm sorry."

Aya raised his arm over his head, with his katana pointing upward. "God, can You hear me?" he yelled. "Satan was right about You. You aren't as perfect as we are meant to believe. If You were, then there wouldn't be so much suffering in this world. The suffering hurts You, doesn't it? But You can't end it, can You?"

Energy circled the blade of Aya's sword. He swung it to the ground, and unleashed a large amount of power. A huge chunk of the land was blown away as Aya jumped back.

"God, have You experienced loss?" Aya continued, his low voice freed of any emotions. "If You haven't, You will now lose all that You have created. You will feel all my sorrow and pain." He flew up into the air and started firing multiple blade beams at the Earth's surface, deforming it even more than it already was.

"I am only more powerful than You because I am both light and darkness," Aya realized, his voice getting quieter with each word. "No light can exist without the darkness, as no darkness can exist without the light. I am 'the balance of good and evil, the one who will be the end.' I have finally accepted my destiny."

He forcefully jabbed his katana into the Earth and created a great explosion, which resulted in a large carter. "In a perfect world, there would be no suffering," he thought. "But in a perfect world, there would be nothing. So only nothing can truly be perfect. God had proven that to me."

Aya held his katana horizontally in front of him and unleashed a powerful energy wave from his body, which wiped out any remaining life, both in the immediate area and possibly the entire world. Many white balls of light were sucked up into the shattered sky.

"When I die, my power will become uncontrollable, so what remains of the world will be completely destroyed," Aya told himself. He could barely hear his own voice now. "But I am not killing myself for that reason. No, I am committing suicide to free myself of this pain and to join those I have lost."

He thought about all those who had been involved in these last events: Hidaka Ken, a clumsy soccer player who had hidden pain eating away at his heart; Tsukiyono Omi, a young boy who wore a mask of cheerfulness to hide his sorrow; Kudou Yoji, a suave playboy who was too afraid to grow close to any woman; Tomoe Sakura, a young girl he fell in love with and ended up causing pain to; Mayu Yumeki, a loyal angel too wrapped up in his own cocoon; Kiseki Kodoku, a lonely miracle whose soul was owned by Satan; Itami Aoi, a beautiful yet sorrowful woman who kept many secrets from her boyfriend Yoji; Sekai Kage, a crime boss who became drawn to Sakura and didn't want to lose her trust; and finally, the true Fujimiya Aya, his loving sister whom he had killed.

Aya aimed the point of his katana at his heart. "Good-bye," he said as a tear ran down his cheek. His stabbed the blade through his heart, all the way to the hilt. His dying body fell to the ground as warm blood poured from his heart.

Transparent angelic wings appeared on Aya's back and began flapping, but then they just suddenly stopped, as if time had froze. God, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, stepped up to Aya's lifeless body and kneeled over, lying His hand on the red-haired assassin's head. _"Kiseki no Hoshi,"_ the Almighty chanted, closing His holy blue eyes. He and Aya started glowing; God glowed a deep blue and Aya's dead body glowed a clear white.

Then there was a brilliant flash of light.

_/Life and death/  
/Being born and dying/  
/And rising again/  
/It's all part of the endless cycle I'm trapped in/_

_I swore to be God's most faithful angel. I wanted to repay Him for accepting me, some worthless person, into Heaven. But my cocoon of loyalty made me blind to reality. I couldn't see Kodoku's or Aoi's pain. I allowed my closest friend to betray me and I couldn't understand how the woman I loved felt. I may have been the most powerful angel Heaven ever had, second only to Resurgere, but I would've been better off as a demon. However, I'll try my hardest to make sure my new life isn't wasted._


	26. Tod und Wiedergeburt

Kiseki no Hoshi  
Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit

Kapitel 25: Tod und Wiedergeburt  
_/I hid my imperfection/  
/Behind a mask of perfection/  
/But some things cannot be hid/  
/Like my true self/_

_I'll never forget these dreams…_

_These dreams of life…_

_I enjoyed life…_

_But now the dreams have ended._

_This is the morning._

_I'll wake up._

_My family, my friends, and my love…_

_I'm here now._

_And this time I won't leave._

_I promise._

ο ο ο ο ο ο

God laid his hand on the unconscious redhead's face. The redhead was nude, but his body was wrapped up in a bright white light, so nothing below his shoulders was visible. They were both floating in the eternal nothingness that was Subete.

"Aya, wake up," God ordered the redhead in a gentle tone.

Aya's pale violet eyes slowly opened. "Wha…where am I?" he asked, still a bit dazed.

"Subete," God answered calmly. "You are dead, but not for long."

"Wha…?" Aya sounded.

God flew back from Aya. "You are the end, but there is something that you did not know," He explained. "There is a prophecy about Resurgere. He may have mentioned it to you once or twice. However, he knew only the first two lines, as did Satan. This is the entire prophecy." He recited it, and it was this:

_The balance of good and evil,_

_the one who will be the end,_

_but also the beginning._

_With his death, comes hope and rebirth._

_Monstrous Fate,_

_Star of Miracles,_

_Resurgere._

"So, by killing myself, I have saved the world?" Aya reworded the prophecy once the Almighty had recited it in its entirety.

"In a way, yes," God confirmed, nodding His head. "You see, Resurgere existed for the sole reason of making me realize the error of my ways."

The Almighty turned His back to Aya. "I have no beginning and no end," He continued. "I have existed for eternity. I grew lonely in my many eons of solitude, so I created the universe. The beings that I created began to worship me, giving me the name 'God.' I was happy, until they started to see me as the 'perfect being.' I was not perfect. Like them, I had both light and darkness. So I was forced to separate myself. Satan was the result of that. Back then, He was the archangel Lucifer. I allowed him to live in Heaven beside me, but it never worked. He was completely evil. When he rebelled against me, I had no choice but to condemn him to ruling over the damned for eternity."

Aya said nothing, but God could still tell he was interested in the story. The Almighty turned around to face him.

"Satan hated being completely evil, so He began the Krieg von Tränen in an effort to make me realize my mistake," God went on. "I refused to become one with Satan again, so the war waged on for eons. Both tears and blood were shed, even in paradise. I was so focused on protecting my angels from the truth that I myself could not see the truth. Aya, when you destroyed what remained of the world, you forced me to finally see the truth."

He paused before going on. "The truth is, I am imperfect," He confessed. His holy blue eyes were filled with indescribable pain. "My own desire for perfection is what made me imperfect. I was willing to do anything to attain perfection, even at the sacrifice of all that I had created. Because I was defying myself, Resurgere was born to live up to his prophecy. Now that he has, I finally realize what a fool I have been."

"So now what'll happen?" Aya asked.

God smiled softly. "'With his death, comes hope and rebirth,'" He recited. "Because you have died, the entire world, including yourself, will be reborn, but any memories of the apocalypse will be erased." He paused for a brief moment. "Aoi and Yumeki died before any of this happened, so they will not be reborn. However, Ken, Omi, Yoji, Sakura, and Kage will be. As for Kodoku, it will be his choice of whether or not he wishes to be reborn."

"What about Satan?" Aya wanted to know.

God held out His hands and two broken halves of a white-black orb appeared in each hand. "Spiritually, we will become one. Physically, I have not yet decided."

"And the angels and demons?"

"Child, you do not need to know any of this. Your memories of these events are going to be erased soon."

Aya was a little miffed at being called a child, but he let it slide. "Then what about Resurgere?" he wondered. "Will we merge?"

"Yes," God answered. "Resurgere has awakened, so of course you two would merge. Also, his power will be lost, so you will no longer be able to use the Weiß Kreuz effortlessly." He reached out and gently touched the scar circling Aya's neck. It slowly faded away, leaving no trace that there had ever been a scar. "You are not Resurgere, so you should not have to bear his scar," the Almighty added.

Aya forced a small smile. "Thank you," he said, his face holding a relieved look.

"You have nothing to thank me for yet," God corrected. "At least not until you receive my little 'reward.' Well, are you ready?"

"Yes," Aya said, nodding slowly.

"Very well," the Almighty replied. He placed the two orb pieces together as the Blau Kreuz around His neck shone warmly. The newly formed orb let out a strong whitish-black (or blackish-white) light that engulfed both Aya and God in its neutral glow.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

It was normal summer day at the Kitty in the House. The sky was clear, and the sun's rays shone down on the flower shop. Eager fangirls stood outside the shop, hoping to catch a glimpse of the four handsome florists who worked with the old lady Momoe.

Aya was bored. Few of the girls actually wanted to buy flowers. All most of them cared about was staring at him and his co-workers. He gazed outside at the clear blue sky.

"Hey Aya, stop day-dreaming!" Yoji ordered. "Get back to work!"

"Like you should be talking," Aya mumbled under his breath. He took an order of flowers and placed the money in the cash register.

The phone began ringing and Omi answered it. "Hello, this is the Kitty in the House, satisfying all your flowery and bishounen needs," he greeted, barely able to keep himself from laughing. "Okay, a dozen white roses…who are they for?" He scribbled notes down on a piece of paper. "Him? Well, you still have to pay for the roses… Okay, so what do you want the note to say? …Uh-huh, sure. He'll get the flowers once I get the check. 'Bye." He hung up the phone.

"New customer?" Yoji guessed.

Omi nodded. There was a mysterious grin on his face.

"Hey, what's with the smirk?" Yoji asked, noticing Omi's smirk.

"Oh, nothing," Omi responded cryptically.

Yoji let it slide. It was probably nothing important, anyway. He then saw the ghostly figure of a pretty blue-haired woman next to him. But when he turned his head to get a better look, she was gone. "Aoi?" he whispered softly.

He shook his head. What had made him say that name? He didn't know any woman named Aoi. But in a really vague sense, it sort of sounded familiar…

Yoji decided it wasn't worth spraining his brain over. The woman had been really beautiful, but she was most likely just his mind playing tricks on him due to the heat.

"Hey, can I get some service over here?" yelled a man with spiky brown hair and pale skin. He was dressed almost entirely in black, which was very strange considering how hot the weather was.

"Yes, how may I help you?" Ken asked, walking over to the spiky-haired man.

"I want a dozen amaryllis in a vase delivered to the Asuka military base in one week."

"Name?"

"General Kiseki Kodoku."

"Okay, let me write this down." Ken reached for some nearby paper, but it was out of his reach and he accidentally stumbled over. "Oops, sorry," he apologized, blushing madly. Kodoku said nothing in reply, but there were hints of a small smile on his face.

Ken stood back up and got the paper he needed. He repeated Kodoku's order as he wrote it down. "¥5,000, please," he finally said.

"Who are the flowers for?" Momoe asked Kodoku and as she rubbed her calico's back.

"They're to honor the memory of a close friend," Kodoku answered, paying Ken. Once he did that, he left the shop.

As soon as Kodoku left the shop, another man entered. This man had short black hair that slightly interfered with his right eye. He was dressed in a business suit, but he wasn't wearing the jacket and he had rolled up the sleeves of the white undershirt.

"My, aren't you the handsome one," Momoe noticed about the dark-haired man. "Would you like to work here?"

"Uh, not now," the dark-haired man declined. "I'll keep your offer in mind, though. Just remember that my name's Sekai Kage. Anyway, do you have any pinks? It's a type of wildflower. They were my fiancée's favorites."

"We have a few pinks," Momoe answered. "I'll go get them." She handed her calico to Kage and went over to the other side of the shop. She wrapped a few pinks up in a bouquet and went back to Kage. She handed the pinks to him as he handed the calico back to her.

"So how much?" Kage asked.

"¥1,500," Momoe answered. "Give the money to Aya. He's the redhead over near the cash register."

Kage walked over to Aya and gave him the money. Aya placed it into the cash register as Kage turned around to leave the shop with his bouquet of pinks.

"Hey, Aya-san!" Sakura called out, dashing into the flower shop. She nearly bumped into Kage, but he caught her by her waist with his free arm before she fell over.

"Sorry, sir," Sakura apologized, her face redder than a tomato.

"It's all right," Kage replied with a sincere smile. "Just be more careful next time." He gently patted Sakura's cheek before he left the shop.

"What do you need, Sakura?" Aya asked, walking over to Sakura.

"Well, I was just wondering," Sakura started nervously, looking down at her feet. "Since your birthday was four days ago, I just think that, uh…I should take you somewhere as a late birthday gift!" She finished her sentence very, very quickly.

"Oh Sakura-san, you're wasting your time on him," informed a man who was standing in the entrance. He had his raspberry-ish black hair tied back in a loose ponytail and he wore sunglasses and a business suit.

"Who are you?" Sakura wondered, a little uneasy.

"My name is Lucifer Flagrare," the man introduced himself. He handed some money to Aya. "A dozen red roses wrapped in a bouquet, please," he requested.

Aya, feeling slightly jealous, forcefully shoved a bouquet of red roses into Lucifer's hands, which he handed to Sakura. "For you, my dear Sakura-san," he presented. "Your beauty has mesmerized me and your pureness changed me." As he was saying that, he soothingly pushed the young girl's brown hair behind her left ear.

"Uh, thank you," Sakura accepted, taking the red roses from Lucifer. She forced a small, yet sincere smile. Her cherry blossom eyes still held an uneasy look, though.

"That's the first time you've smiled for me," Lucifer said softly, leaning in closer to Sakura. "So tell me," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "why do you waste your time on that Fujimiya Aya guy? I can give you everything you have ever wanted."

"Hey Aya, he's trying to steal your girl," Yoji whispered to Aya.

"She's not my girl," Aya whispered back in a harsh tone.

"C'mon!" Yoji urged. "You two love each other! It's so easy to see!"

"But I don't deserve her…" Aya disagreed.

_Ring ring!_ went the phone. Omi was nearest to it, but he was busy taking a rather large order of flowers. "Ken, go answer the phone!" he yelled to the brown-haired soccer player.

Ken went over to the phone and picked it up. "Kitty in the House, Hidaka Ken speaking." There was a moment of silence before he said, "Here Aya, it's for you."

Aya took the phone from Ken. "Hello?" he said into the mouthpiece. "She's what?" he exclaimed after a short pause. He hung up the phone and quickly dashed out of the flower shop before anyone could ask what had happened. He quickly sprinted down the street, not caring how tired he became. He had lost all sense of time. Soon he reached the Magic Bus Hospital. He raced inside and up the stairs to his sister's room. There he saw her. His sister, the true Fujimiya Aya, was awake and sitting up! Even the doctors and nurses around her bed looked happy.

Ran, unable to control himself, threw his arms around Aya. "Oh Aya, I'm so happy you're awake!" he confessed, tears escaping from his pale orchid eyes. "I've missed you so much. I know I don't deserve to hold you, not after what I've done, but I don't care! Oh, thank God you're awake now!"

Aya returned Ran's embrace. "I'm sorry for worrying you," she apologized, rubbing her brother's hair. "I've missed you too."

Ran lightly kissed Aya's forehead. "You have no idea how much I've missed you," he told his sister. He continued to hold Aya in his arms as she continued to hold him in her arms.

ο ο ο ο ο ο

"You are welcome," God said as He looked into the vision of Ran and Aya that was in His hand. He smiled as He closed His hand to make the vision disappear.

God then turned to face Yumeki. "Yumeki, even though I have become myself again, will you still be my most faithful angel?" He asked, His holy blue eyes holding an amused look.

"Of course," Yumeki assured, grinning happily. "I may even be more faithful now that You are Yourself."

"Is such a thing possible?" God teased gently. "Yumeki, you are more than a loyal angel to me. You are a close friend." He gazed up at the clear blue sky of Heaven. It seemed more peaceful now that there was no Krieg von Tränen. The new era would be the same, with no tearful war to corrupt it. The Almighty would make absolute sure of that.

_The only good is this world is balance. Evil flows from an imbalance of good or evil. That was why Resurgere's power was limitless. Good and evil have their limits, but balanced, they can be endless. It was my own desire for perfection that made me imperfect. Satan was born from that imperfection, so He too was imperfect. When I think about all those I got involved in these past events, I feel sad._

_Ken, I never meant for you to experience the peacefulness of Heaven before you should have. It caused you more pain than I could foresee. But cutting yourself was not the best thing to do. Your friends were quite willing to help you. You should never forget about them._

_Omi, I know how much you wanted to see Ouka and Shuichi again. However, I would never have been able to grant that wish. They still think of you, and you would make them proud if you got over the pain of their loss. They do not want their memory to be a burden to you._

_Yoji, I am sorry about Aoi. I did not want her to become close to you because I knew it would bring you nothing but pain. But still, she fell in love with you. I know you are afraid to open your heart to other women, but remember how happy you were with Aoi. Love is not a burden._

_Sakura, we never met, but I watched you closely. Opening your heart to Ran was a good thing, and it made him open his heart to you. One cannot live with a closed heart. They keep all their pain inside, and it begins to eat away at them. Emotionally, you saved Ran._

_Yumeki, my most faithful angel. You believed that your cocoon of loyalty made you so blind as to believe Kodoku's lies, but you are wrong. You trusted Kodoku; however, that does not make you weak. He did not mean to lie to you. You should free yourself of your cocoon._

_Kodoku, you are the one friend that got Yumeki into Heaven. Even though you were forced to betray him, he never hated you. Open up to others, and you will be happier. Remember how happy you were with Yumeki. You were much happier than when you were alone._

_Aoi, I know how sad you were when you had to lie to Yoji. You should not have become close to him, but you still fell in love. Love is not a sin, but a relationship between an angel and a human cannot work. But Yoji will remember how happy he was with you, and he will not be afraid of love._

_Kage, we never met either, but I watched you closely too. You did many evil things in your past, but you have forgiven yourself, as have I. I know how much you wanted Sakura's trust. I think you will be happy to know that she never lost trust in you, even when she found out about your past._

_Satan, I am sorry for everything. You hated Your nature of being completely evil, but I refused to become one with You. I never saw how deeply that hatred went. I hope You will be happy living as Lucifer Flagrare, near the one You love. I wonder if You can ever win her love?_

_Ran, you went through so much as the reincarnation of Resurgere. It was all my fault. I am truly sorry for all that. I should have realized my mistakes earlier. If I had, then you and so many others would not have suffered. I hope now that your sister is awake, you will be more open to your friends and to the one you love._

_I pray that everyone will be happy now that the Krieg von Tränen is gone. I have made so many people suffer all because of my selfish desire. I will make up for that mistake by making sure this new era is not corrupted. This I promise._

END

* * *

Translations and Thank You's

Title and subtitles:  
**Kiseki no Hoshi **- Star of Miracles (Japanese)  
**Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen **- Part One: The War of Tears (German)  
**Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit** - Part Two: Gateway to Eternity (German)

Names, places, and things:  
**Yumeki Mayu **- _yumeki, _combination of "Yuuki Seki Miki;" _mayu, _cocoon (Japanese)  
**Kodoku Kiseki** - lonely miracle (Japanese)  
**Aoi Itami** - blue pain (Japanese)  
**Aoi Hitomi** (real name) - blue eyes (Japanese)  
**Kage Sekai** - shadow world (Japanese)  
**Resurgere** - to rise again (Latin)  
**Flagrare** - to burn (Latin)  
**Salvare** - to save (Latin)  
**Tsuyoku** (from Kapitel 8) - stronger (Japanese)  
**Yasha** (from Kapitel 8) - demon (Japanese)  
**Dr. Korosu** (from Kapitel 9) - to kill (Japanese)  
**Hourousha** (from Kapitel 13) - wanderer (Japanese)  
**Shiroi** (from Kapitel 18; Aoi's mother) - white (Japanese)  
**Toki** (from Kapitel 18; Aoi's father) - time (Japanese)  
**Nadeshiko Tenshi** (Kage's fiancée) - pink (a type of wildflower) angel (Japanese)  
**Subete** - everything (Japanese)  
**Weiß Kreuz** - white cross (German)  
**Blau Kreuz** - blue cross (German)  
**Rot Kreuz** - red cross (German)  
**Kreuze** - crosses; plural of _kreuz_ (German)  
**Krieg von Tränen** - War of Tears (German)

Kapitel ('chapter') titles: (All are German)  
**Der Prolog** - the prologue  
1: **Einfahrt** - gateway  
2: **Himmel und Gott** - Heaven and God  
3: **Erste Mission** - first mission  
4: **Gestohlene Seele** - stolen soul  
5: **Blauer Schmerz** - blue pain  
6: **Heimliche Pläne** - secret plans  
7: **Kummervolles Lied** - sorrowful song  
8: **Narbe** - scar  
9: **Der Teufel** - the Devil  
10: **Geheimnise und Lügen** - secrets and lies  
11: **Verweigerung** - refusal  
12: **Genesung** - recovery  
13: **Entschlossenheit** - determination  
14: **Sakuras Liebe** - Sakura's love  
15: **Wiederentstehen** - to rise again  
16: **Das Jüngste Gericht **- the Last Judgment  
17: **Omis Tränen** - Omi's tears  
18: **Yojis Engel** - Yoji's angel  
19: **Schattenwelt** - shadow world  
20: **Kaputte Freundschaft** - broken friendship  
21: **Die Grausamkeit des Einsamen Wunders** - the cruelty of the lonely miracle  
22: **Kens Schmerz** - Ken's pain  
23: **Ayas Wut** - Aya's rage  
24: **Kokons** - cocoons  
25: **Tod und Wiedergeburt** - death and rebirth

Random German:

Kapitel 1:  
**Sie sind das Ende…Kiseki no Hoshi!** - You are the end…Star of Miracles!

Kapitel 13:  
**Was wollen Sie?** - What do you want?  
**Ich weiß nicht.** - I don't know.

Kapitel 14:  
**Was wollen Sie?** - What do you want?  
**Ich weiß. Ich liebe sie.** - I know. I love her.  
**Sie ist mein Leben.** - She is my life.

Kapitel 15:  
**Wer sind Sie?** - Who are you?  
**Ich bin ich.** - I am me.  
**Wer bin ich?** - Who am I?  
**Sie sind das Ende.** - You are the end.

Kapitel 16:  
**Ich bin Weiß. Ich bin ein Mörder.** - I am Weiß. I am a murderer.  
**Ich bin nur ich. Und ich bin das Ende.** - I am only myself. And I am the end.  
**Ende von Teil Eins: Der Krieg von Tränen** - End of Part One: The War of Tears  
**Fortgefahren im Teil Zwei: Einfahrt zur Ewigkeit** - Continued in Part Two: Gateway to Eternity

And now, for the thanks you's:  
First, thanks to everyone who read this fic, and an extra thanks to all those who made it to the end. (Also, let me express surprise to anyone who actually read this whole fic in one sitting. You are truly impressive. Not even I can do that.)

A special thanks to the main three reviewers: Misura (extra special thanks to her for reviewing every chapter but one), Gangsta Videl, and GeneWeiss.

A special special thanks to AA for being the first person not scared away. (Although, I wonder if you were eventually scared away.)

A special special special thanks to Crystal Dawn for being my beta-reader. You were very helpful, and you noticed all the stupid mistakes I didn't. (But how did they slip by me…?)

Well, this is starting to sound sappy. Anyway, I really enjoyed working on this fic, and it's one of my favorites. (And it was because of that I was able to finish it. You can't finish a story if you completely and utterly despise it.) It took me a whole year to upload it on FF (dot) Net (and nearly two years to write it and type it up). Well, I don't have much else to say. So, thanks again for making it to the end and I hope you enjoyed this fic and that it wasn't just a really long way to torture yourself.

So, 'bye! It was a fun (if slightly violent, suggestive, angsty, dark, and blasphemous) year.


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